


Tomboy No More

by PurseMonger



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-02-16 16:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 157,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2275998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurseMonger/pseuds/PurseMonger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens after the wedding fails? Akane decides she may need to make some changes and Ranma finally starts to take a stand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arc I: The Plan, Chapter: A New Alliance

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Italiano available: [Non più un maschiaccio](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11283015) by [MaryFangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryFangirl/pseuds/MaryFangirl)



Dojo demolished. Dress ruined. Hopes destroyed. Tears shed.

But not for long; she was never one to weep. She learned from a very young age that tears changed nothing. The pain she felt didn’t go away. The people she loved, stayed dead. But she always let herself cry if the tears came.

She knew that she was being melodramatic, but a girl was entitled to be emotional when her wedding was destroyed. Right?

She had wanted to get angry; she was much better at dealing with anger than sadness. But her infamous temper was fleeting lately. After all, death or almost dying changed a person. 

She still wasn’t clear on what happened that day. Her memories after grabbing the Kinjakan were fuzzy. The only thing she could clearly remember was Ranma telling her he loved her. But he denied it, so she chalked it all up to a dream, some delusion created from severe dehydration and the sensation of waking up in Ranma’s arms. She should have known it was too good to be true, it was only ever in her fantasies that Ranma declared his love for her. 

Akane rolled her yes, she was doing it again. _‘Ok, no more dramatics,_ _’_ she promised herself as she wiped the tears from her face.

She had escaped the disaster of a wedding as soon as she could get Happosai off of her and while Kuno was focused on his pig-tailed goddess, ignoring her. She snuck up to her room and after a lot of pulling, tugging, and yanking, got her wedding dress off. It was only then that she got to see the full extent of the damage inflicted on the once white gown. Her dress was covered in soot from the bombs thrown at her, there was a rip in the dress she received after being too close to one of Kuno’s swings of his katana, cake splattered randomly throughout from Ms. Hinako’s childish attempts at devouring the wedding cake, and the beading on her bodice was ripped from where Happosai tried to grope her. She looked at it sadly before throwing it in a corner. There was no way to fix the dress with all the damage to it, not to mention the smell of smoke that was still wafting from the corner where she flung the dress. It was fine, she’d throw the dress away the first chance she got; she wanted no reminders of the day. 

She’d been in her room ever since, thinking. After she was done crying, she had begun to really think about her situation. It was harder than it sounded, because she had to analyze feelings that she would normally avoid thinking about. She came to the realization that she had no idea what she wanted anymore. So her first priority was to ask herself some simple questions. 

Did she love Ranma? Yes.

Did she want to marry Ranma? Yes.

Did she want to be married right now? No.

It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be to answer those questions honestly. Now all she had to do was figure out what it all meant. 

She had less control of her life than she cared to admit and if she wanted a future with Ranma, things would have to change. Ranma still had two other fiancées and one delusional stalker that he could pick. Or, if he really wanted, he could leave and choose someone new. But ultimately, that was his choice and not something she could control.

And what would happen if he did choose her? Would she still want to be with him if he only chose her out of duty? Would either of them be happy if that’s how they ended up married?

She had hoped that they would marry because they loved each other, not just because of the agreement between their parents. But she knew that if he chose to be with her only out of obligation, she wouldn’t be strong enough to walk away. She’d want whatever he was willing to give her. And if that made her a little pathetic, well there wasn’t much she could do to change her feelings now. 

Although, the idea of their relationship mirroring his parents’ marriage terrified her. She’d never want him to leave her and take their child on a training trip for ten years, or even one year. That would be something she had to be firm on. And if he were happy with their marriage, then maybe he wouldn’t be tempted to leave.

So she’d do whatever it took to make him happy when, _if_ they got married.

But it wouldn’t hurt for her to try to make him happy before that. To give him the chance to choose someone he loved. This would be the most difficult part, to stand aside and watch as he spent time with and possibly chose someone else. She would do it though; she owed him that much for always protecting her. 

And in the meantime, if she really wanted to make him happy if they got married, she would work on herself. And if possible, fix some of the insanity that was seemingly thrown at them from every angle. 

It was time for her to stop reacting to everything in her life. She needed to make some plans. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner at the Tendo home was quiet that night. The events of the day had affected each member of the family differently. The fathers were drinking themselves into a stupor, lamenting the fact that their heirs would never get married and their schools would never be joined. Nodoka was scowling as she ate, partly in response to her husband and his best friend’s antics and partly due to the destruction to the dojo. Kasumi had a slight frown marring her usual serene face. She was tired of her beautiful home, the home she spent so much love and energy on, being wrecked by one strange situation after another. Ranma sat quietly and ate automatically, his gaze occasionally falling to the empty spot beside him. His mind filled with too many thoughts and heart plagued with too many emotions to comprehend. Only Nabiki seemed unfazed by anything that happened earlier. 

Akane had not come down for dinner. Anticipating this would be the case, Kasumi had prepared a tray for her. After serving the rest of the family, Kasumi carried the tray upstairs and knocked on Akane’s door. After receiving the expected, “I’m not hungry,” response from Akane, Kasumi slipped in quietly, placed the tray on the desk and slipped back out just as quietly. 

After dinner, Ranma ran off to his favorite thinking spot: the roof. He loved being up there. It was quiet and the unobstructed view of the stars reminded him of his childhood filled with nights camping during his long training journey.

Ranma had no idea how everything in his life went from bizarre to really bad. Over the last couple of years, he just got used to stranger and stranger things happening in his life. But this was too much. 

He knew that he wasn’t good at showing his appreciation but he was truly grateful to the Tendos for everything they’ve done for him. The home they shared with him was the only place he ever had that ever felt like home. A home that could’ve been destroyed today, much like the house his mother had lived in since he was a child. 

Ranma had always been an amicable guy, forgiving his enemies almost as soon as their battle was over. But this time, his “friends” had finally stepped over the line. Something needed to change.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday morning came quickly. Akane had donned her running gear and set off even before her alarm could blare. Knowing she had a little more time than normal, she added an extra kilometer to her route. The blue-haired girl relished her morning runs; the rhythmic sound of her feet pounding on the pavement was music to her ears and the endorphins acted like a balm for her soul. Everything always looked a little better after a good morning run. As she reached home, she decreased her pace and started her cool down. Stopping just inside the gates, she stretched out her muscles. Taking a deep breath, she smiled as she heard a splash in the pond and the loud string of profanity that followed. Not yet willing to face Ranma, she ducked into the house and headed for the furo. She felt a little cowardly for sneaking around. Especially since she had snuck out of the house the previous day after leaving a note for Kasumi to say she would be out. But she wanted a little more time for herself and a nice bath was exactly what she needed to top off her run. 

After spending a little more time than normal on her appearance and putting on her school uniform, she looked herself over in the mirror. Pleased at what she saw, she gave herself a small encouraging nod, and braced herself before going downstairs to deal with her family. Today her plan would start and she crossed her fingers, hoping that everything would work out for the best.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After his impromptu wake-up call and sparring session by the pond, Ranma had taken a bath and rushed to get ready. He hadn't seen Akane at all the previous day and was anxious to talk to her. He had snuck into her room last night while she slept, just to see if she was ok, but he missed spending time with her. He didn't know if Akane was planning to go to school that day, but he was sure she would; she was never one to avoid her problems. Ranma was determined to be on time today, as to not give her a reason to be displeased with him. Coming down the stairs, he was pleased to see that she was seated in her usual place and had already begun eating her breakfast.

"G'mornin," he greeted everyone and sat cautiously down next to her, eyeing her with a sideway glance. 

Akane looked over and gave him a small smile, "Good morning, Ranma."

Relieved that she was on speaking terms with him, he smiled back and begun eating with gusto. When everyone but Soun, Ranma, and Akane had left the table, the Tendo patriarch announced there would no wedding until lingering relationships were settled. 

Gritting her teeth, Akane blurted out that Ranma should pay attention and that this involved him. She immediately regretted the comment, thinking, _‘This was the exact type of thing I needed to stop doing’_.

Ranma felt Akane tense at the word “wedding” and was prepared to tell Soun to stuff it when Akane snapped at him. He hadn’t spoken to her in almost two days and he was hurt that _this_ was the first real thing she chose to say to him. Acting on instinct and habit, he snapped back, a fact that he was not proud of. 

Feeling slightly ashamed of themselves, they both left as quickly as they could. 

As they made their way to school, Ranma had opted to walk next to his fiancée instead of on the fence, like he normally did. He knew they couldn't avoid the topic forever and wanted to make the best of the few moments they had alone together. 

"Hey, 'kane?"

"Yes, Ranma?"

"I...I just wanted to say sorry," Ranma said sheepishly as he began to rub the back of his neck. 

Akane tilted her head to the side and scrunched her eyebrows together. "Sorry? For what?"

"Well, you know. The whole wedding mess."

Akane sighed and realized she had been doing that a lot lately, which of course, made her want to sigh again. Resisting the urge, she gave him a small smile, "It's okay. Really, you have nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

Stunned, Ranma’s steps faltered; Akane was apologizing to him?

"I didn't realize that our parents were going to try to shanghai you into the wedding. When they came to me with the idea of a wedding, I thought - well they made it sound - like you had agreed to it. And since I thought you had said...what you said at Jusendo, I agreed. Obviously, I was wrong."

Ranma knew that she was and she wasn't wrong. He didn't actually say he loved her out loud, he was sure of it. But he knew he thought it - felt it - with every fiber of his being. He just didn't know how she could have _heard_ it though. And when asked so blatantly if he loved her, he froze. He was never good with feelings and went with what he knew best: denial. Maybe now would be a good time to come clean and explain… 

After walking in silence for a while and clearly not receiving a response from Ranma, Akane continued, "I should probably apologize for one more thing, I should have told you about the nannichuan as soon as I found out about it." Akane bit her bottom lip to stop her eyes from watering. "I feel terrible that you lost the cure and if I had just told you, then...then you may have gotten it on time." 

She looked away, avoiding his gaze. If anything, this was the one thing she felt really terrible about. She had never wanted to come between Ranma and his cure.

"It's ok, 'kane. Really. I think that I've accepted it. I mean, I do wanna get cured and I'm sure it'll happen, sooner or later. You know, I'll just hafta try again," he said with a shrug. 

Akane was astonished. The cure was the one thing Ranma had been wanting since she met him and now he just brushed of the failure. She really didn't know what to think of it.

"Ummm...'kane?"

"Yes?"

"Are you...I mean, you look a little different today." Akane just raised her eyebrow at his comment and he quickly added, "Not that I was staring at you or anything."

"Do I look bad?"

"No! I mean, it looks kinda ni...uh...different," he finished lamely.

Akane blushed slightly, glad that Ranma noticed the extra effort she took in getting ready this morning. 

During her time alone, she took a real good look at the things Ranma had said about her. She had always thought Ranma was just being a jerk when he called her “unsexy” or made other comments about her figure and always brushed his comments aside…eventually. But what if he meant what he said? The frequency of his complaints alone leant credence to their validity. 

So part one of her plan was dealing with her appearance. She knew there was little she could do about her figure; she had no control over how big her breasts were going to grow. She worked out all the time and her stomach was as trim and toned as it was going to get. She actually liked her hips, which she thought gave her a curvier figure.

Eventually, Akane decided to focus on what she could change and she had made sure to spend a little more time this morning on her grooming regimen. Instead of just running a brush through it, she styled her hair, adding extra volume and a cute clip to one side. Not one to usually wear makeup, she had added a little blush, eye shadow and mascara today, emphasizing her cheekbones and drawing more focus to her already large eyes and thick lashes. Lastly, she put on a very thin coat of clear lip-gloss she received from Nabiki last Christmas, which she thought pulled everything together nicely. It wasn't something she was used to applying but thought she did a decent enough job. 

The ringing of a very familiar bell saved her from thinking of something to say. Groaning, she prepared herself for dealing with the incoming voluptuous amazon by taking deep breaths.

"Airen!"

Shampoo flew off her bike and landed right in front of Ranma, immediately glomped onto him and began rubbing herself up and down his body. 

Akane started forward, ready to pummel someone - anyone really - before stopping herself. She took a couple of deep breaths before she stepped back.

"Akane...this isn't....Damn it! Will you stop that!"

Already walking away, Akane called over her shoulder, "I'm going to go ahead, Ranma," and refused to look back. This was the other part of her plan, the really hard part. 

She finally came to the realization that Ranma calling her "uncute" had little to do with her looks and everything to do with her attitude. He hated her jumping to conclusions and hitting him before she found out what was actually happening. True, she did find him in a LOT of compromising positions but once he was able to explain himself, those scenarios always had some wild but rational reason. Okay, maybe not rational but there was always a reason for his actions. She winced whenever she remembered him "groping" Ms. Hinako. 

To remedy the problem, Akane decided to try to be more understanding and to give him his space to spend more time with the other girls. She could admit that Ukyo had a real "claim" to him, since Genma did accept her dowry. Shampoo's claims were less valid under Japanese customs but Ranma had shown some attraction to her in the past and had remained friendly with her; so she couldn't be ruled out as a potential partner. Kodachi on the other hand lived in her own world. Ranma had always shown distaste for her but if he decided he wanted to spend time with the wacko, she wasn't going to stop him. She would, however, question his mental well-being.

While she hated the idea, it was possible that he was interested in one or more of them. If he was going to make a decision about who he wanted to be with, she had to give him the chance to make an informed decision. So, she would back off and try not to overreact. But she didn't have to like it.

She stomped off toward school, hoping that the rest of the morning went better. Her heart sank as she got closer to school and heard the now unfamiliar cries. 

"She's coming!" "Everyone get Ready!" "Akane, my love, date with me!" "Akane, let me prove my love to you!"

Akane had feared this would happen, that the failed wedding would be a sign to everyone that, somehow, their engagement was over. She knew exactly what she had to do. Taking a deep breath, she ran towards the group of oddly dressed boys brandishing “weapons” now spilling out of the school gates as they advanced on her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma watched as Akane walked off, not even bothering to look at him. First, she came down looking....well looking like _that_. Akane was always a very attractive girl and drawing more attention to her already beautiful face seemed unfair. She already received too much adoration as it was, and in his opinion, this was just asking for trouble. Not that he minded looking. He could admit that he wanted to keep looking at her. But he knew he wasn't the only one who would look, and damn it, he was the only one who should! 

Then she apologized to him. She'd done it before but it usually involved a lot of misunderstandings, yelling, and physical violence before that happened. 

And now? Now, she was just leaving him trapped in the tentacles of the human octopus? What was she thinking? 

This last thought brought Ranma back to his current situation. Shampoo had used his moment of confusion to carry on her groping, her right hand was traveling down his body and about to reach an area that he certainly did not want her to touch. 

"Get offa me!" He screamed and emphasized this by yanking her hand upwards and away from his body while he stepped out of her grip.

"What wrong, airen?" Shampoo asked, giving him what she thought was a coquettish pout. She stepped toward him, her hips swaying exaggeratedly and purred, "You spend day with Shampoo, I give taste of honeymoon."

"Stuff it, Shampoo. I didn't want what you had to offer in Jusendo and I don't want it now!"

Ranma stormed off even before she had a chance to narrow her eyes at him and raced towards school, hoping to catch up to Akane. He sped up when he heard screaming and what sounded like a stampede. _'No. It can't be. They couldn't possibly be that stupid,'_ he thought. As he reached the edge of the crowd, he realized exactly what was happening and scanned for any sight of his fiancée. _'If anyone lays a finger on her...'_

His thought was interrupted when he spotted her three quarters of the way through the crowd. Curious, he stopped in his tracks as he realized that she wasn't fighting. She was dodging under, over and through every attack being thrown at her. He glanced around and noticed there wasn't a single casualty amongst the crowd. Normally, the lawn would be filled with groaning or knocked out bodies, and littered with broken sports equipment. But before him stood a sea of confused teenage boys.

Turning back, he was impressed as he watched her weave her way through the remainder of her "suitors". When she had reached the top step of the school entrance, she stopped briefly to straighten out her dress and fix her hair before she walked calmly through the double doors, not bothering to look back at the stunned faces that filled the courtyard. Like his fellow classmates, he too stood there stunned and confused, not sure what to make of the situation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was mad, frustrated and annoyed. Normally, this would call for her to beat the offending person or persons her ire was directed towards. And she had every right to, since they attacked her! But that would only work against her. She was glad that there was no one around to see her throw her street shoes into her cubby and then slam her locker door shut. It was a very minor way for her to relieve some of the stress she was quickly accumulating and she enjoyed it. She was amazed that her perfectly lovely morning turned to crap so quickly. For heaven’s sake, class hadn’t even started yet! 

Akane strode into her classroom and sat down at her desk. To calm herself she deliberately took her time putting everything on her desk and arranging everything neatly; her homework sitting on the corner, ready to be turned in, her book in the middle of her desk, and her pencil and notebook ready. 

"Are you alright?"

Looking up, she saw her two childhood friends looking at her with concern. "Yes, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry. I really hoped they wouldn't've reacted that way," Yuka said empathetically. 

Akane shrugged. She had spent most of the previous day with Yuka and Sayuri. During that time, Yuka had told her that some of the boys were already looking at the failed wedding as a sign that Ranma and Akane's engagement was over. Sayuri had then realized that they may once again start challenging her for their “right” to date her. Akane didn't want to think it was true but obviously she was a little too optimistic about their collective intelligence.

"I really wished you were wrong, but at least I wasn't surprised."

"So Akane, what was that out there?" Sayuri asked.

"Yeah, why didn't you pound the hell out of them?" Yuka chimed in.

"After I got home, I realized that I'd been handling this situation the wrong way the entire time. I was so mad when the ‘challenges’,” she used air quotes to emphasize her point, "started. I was so angry with the situation that I just went with my instinct to beat the crap out of all of them. I wanted them to understand that I was not something to be won. It didn't work; they just kept attacking until Ranma came. 

"Yesterday, I finally understood that they kept attacking because I kept engaging them. By fighting them, I was essentially accepting all their challenges. So I figured the only way to stop them was to ignore them. So that's what I did.” 

"But wait, aren't you required by some Martial Artist code to accept all challenges?"

Akane snorted, "Only if you're Ranma. It's my duty to accept all challenges to the dojo, in order to show the strength of the dojo or in order to protect it, like with that dojo challenger last year. I'm also required to accept challenges to my personal honor and strength as a martial artist, like when Shampoo challenged me. These idiots challenging me for a date doesn't qualify as either, so from now on I refuse all challenges for dates. Besides, most of those morons aren't even martial artist and have no right to issue a challenge to me. And the few that are martial artist aren't even in my league."

Both, Yuka and Sayuri had grins on their face. 

"Oh the boys are gonna HATE that."

Akane shrugged. "Not my problem."

"So, are you gonna just keep dodging them every morning?"

"I can see that it would work with most of them, but what about Kuno? He's not going to make it easy on you to just dodge him."

"I know. I've given that some thought too." This was part of the plan that really annoyed her. "I'm going to have to get Ranma to help." Both friends eyes widened in shock. "I know, I know. Normally, I wouldn't want him to fight my battles, but I don't see this working any other way. And let's face it, I don’t think it'd be a hardship for Ranma to have _another_ reason to beat on Kuno. Besides, there may be one other benefit to this plan."

"What?"

"You know how Kuno is always calling me his fierce tigress? Well maybe, just maybe, he would lose his interest in me if I stopped being so fierce. I mean this whole mess started when I beat him while sparring in gym that day. I didn’t even want the sensei to call on me and have me give a demonstration like that! Seriously, if I knew then what chaos it would cause, I would've thrown the match."

"Hmm, I guess that could be true. Its Kuno, so it's anyone’s guess what goes through his head."

They all giggled at Sayuri's comment. Noticing that the bell was about to ring, her two friends moved to their desks. Akane sat up straight and looked forward, ignoring all the curious looks that came her way and not acknowledging Ukyo at all when she glanced over. As usual, Ranma sat down just as the bell sounded. 

Ranma was completely bored with Ms. Hinako's English lecture. His normal attention span was even shorter than usual because of the morning attacks. He couldn't believe those guys would start that shit again! He thought they were his friends...well some of them anyways. He was just really glad to see that Daisuke and Hiroshi weren’t a part of the crowd that morning.

After he got to school and saw Akane had made it inside safely, he starting asking questions (the other boys would call it yelling and demanding answers). He had quickly gotten the story, after leaving some convincing dents on the walls surrounding the school grounds. 

Those fuckers thought that his and Akane’s engagement had been broken, nullified, negated, etcetera, etcetera. He just didn't understand why until he learned that they found out that he essentially refused to marry her. He had no idea how that bit of information was leaked but he guessed that Nabiki had been hard at work this weekend and made a nice chunk of change. 

It was true, he did refuse to marry her, _that day_. It didn't mean he was giving up on their engagement; that was NOT going to happen. He just had to figure out a way to make those bastards understand that they were not allowed to touch Akane. In anyway. 

Ranma had spent the rest of the period imagining creative ways to convince those delinquents to give up their useless, stupid, idiotic, pointless, pathetic crushes on Akane! Didn't any of them understand that they had zero chance with her? Just thinking about it was aggravating Ranma.

He realized he was getting carried away when he crushed the corner of his desk into dust. Several people gave him wary looks while tried to edge their desks away from him.

Ignoring their looks, he kept his hands on his lap for the remainder of the period and gave a half-hearted attempt at focusing on the lecture. As soon as the lunch bell rang, Ranma left quickly to get some much needed fresh air.

Akane, on the other hand, had decided to eat lunch inside. She wanted to avoid the possibility of anyone challenging her during her lunch period. She ate mainly alone and in silence. Yuka and Sayuri had volunteered to spread the word on Akane's refusal to accept any challenges that involved her personal life. She was interrupted a couple of times by people who wanted to verify the authenticity of the new rumors. For once, she had to be thankful to the high school rumor mill for being able to disseminate information so quickly. Even Nabiki had come by to get all the details, writing it down in her "book" and updating whatever odds she kept in there. The conversation with Nabiki had left her feeling depressed and she was glad when lunch was over and class began so she would have something else to focus on.

That afternoon, Akane had walked home alone. She slipped by Ranma unnoticed as he was busy talking to some boys. She was emotionally exhausted after her long day of trying to reign in her temper and dealing with the fallout from the wedding. All she needed were a few minutes of quiet to get herself together. There were things she needed to accomplish and she needed her wits about her if she was going to succeed. She glanced up when she noticed that the cloud above her seemed to be moving with her. It had been a perfectly nice day and she wondered if one of Nerima's sudden down pours were coming in. She groaned as she realized she was most definitely not looking at a cloud.

The large and very odd figure of Pantyhose Taro landed in front of her. Remembering their first encounter, Akane took a slightly defensive stance in case he decided another kidnapping was in order. To her surprise, he pulled out a thermos from the pantyhose utility belt he fastened around his waist. When she realized what he was intending to do, she closed her eyes.

"Hey, where's femboy?"

Akane’s eyebrow rose as she stared at her new companion. ' _How did he pull on his clothes so quickly? And why had I never thought of just carrying a thermos of hot water around in case Ranma needed it?_ ' Still annoyed from earlier events, Akane replied acidly, "Well, hello, and good afternoon to you too, Taro. I'm fine, thank you for asking. How have you been?"

Pantyhose Taro simply rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, before saying, "Yeah, yeah. Do you know where the tranny is or don't you?"

Patience waning, the vein on Akane's forehead started to pulse. Gritting her teeth, she sent one last glare at Pantyhose before stepping around him and proceeding home. 

Not being the most observant male, even Pantyhose could see that this girl was upset. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box and proceeded to sneer, "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

Akane stopped a few feet from him. Staring at her back, he saw her body stiffen, her head bow and her battle aura start to glow. Pantyhose took a cautious step back as Akane whirled around and closed the distance between them.

Poking his chest with her index finger, she ranted, "I don't know who you think you are talking to me that way. Has it ever occurred to you that you would get some help if you were just NICE to people? No, obviously not! Tell me, has your method of kidnapping people and forcing people to do what you want gotten you anywhere? Of course not! You're not the only one who has problems, so don't push your crap on me!"

Akane finished her tirade with one last poke of his chest and he swore he could see steam coming out of her ears. Gulping, Taro had the decency to look slightly ashamed. He wasn't used to dealing with irate women and suddenly felt some sympathy for Ranma having to deal with this from not just one woman but three. 

Clearing his throat, he said, "Fine. I’m sorry. Alright?"

Having finally found somewhere to vent her frustrations from the day, Akane felt slightly better but a little sheepish. Sure he was a jerk, but she could admit he was just a scapegoat. 

"It's...I'm...Look. It's been a long day and you caught me at a bad time. Just forget it, ok?"

She turned around and walked away and was surprised when Taro fell into step beside her. 

"Umm...do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

"Ok, well I ...umm..," not good with comforting someone, Taro had no idea what to say. 

"You know, I was serious about one thing, people would be more inclined to help you if you were nice to them."

"Pfft. No offense, but what can you do to help me when your girlfriend couldn't?"

Ignoring the jibe, Akane went on to say, "More than you realize."

"Wait, what? How are you gonna get that old bastard to change my name?"

"Well..." Now a little more uncertain, she didn't know how much to tell Taro. "I've been working things out and I think I found a way to get Grandfather to...alter some of his behavior. I _may_ be able to work in changing your name."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Akane sighed. She wasn't really prepared to address the issue today but she had no good reason to put it off either. The plan would either work or it wouldn't. 

"Nothing, come on, let's head to my place."

They walked in silence as Akane tried to figure out how to get Taro to fit into her plans. Things could get really complicated, but she thought she could make it work. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I hope you liked it. I've always thought Akane to be a little on the sarcastic side, or at least thinking sarcastic things during the events of the series, so I've brought that out in the way she's dealing with people. I have a list of issues that will be addressed throughout the story but some things will take longer to get to than others. Thanks for reading.

Big thanks to **KaikiH** and **alwaysZutarian** for betaing this chapter! It really needed it!

Original Publication: May 20, 2014

Revised: May 8, 2015


	2. Arc I: The Plan, Chapter: It's All in the Details

As they entered the gate Akane asked Taro, "Do you want to come in?"

Taro, not wanting to waste time socializing or with pleasantries, said, "No offense, but not really."

"Ok, well go ahead into the dojo and I will see if Grandfather is home."

As she walked into the house, Akane called out, "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Akane!" Unsurprisingly, Kasumi's voice came from the kitchen. 

"Hi, Kasumi. Do you know if Grandfather is home?" Akane asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Grandfather?" Surprised, Kasumi quirked her eyebrow. "Yes, I think he's in his room. He got back from a "training" trip pretty late and had to take a nap. I believe he should be awake now."

"Thanks, Kasumi." Leaving the kitchen, Akane rounded the corner and knocked on Happosai's bedroom door, "Grandfather, are you awake?"

The door burst open and a diminutive flying figure leapt at Akane, “Sweet little Akane, you've come to see me!"

Instinctively putting her book bag in front of her, Happosai was stopped a foot from his goal.

"Good afternoon, Grandfather," Akane said sweetly. "I have something I’d like to talk to you about. Would you come to the dojo with me?"

"Of course!" Following happily, his smile faded into a frown when he saw they were to be joined by Taro. "What's that ungrateful brat doing here?"

Taro was stopped from replying by the look Akane threw at him. "He's here as my guest. Like I said, there are things I would like to discuss and some of it has to do with Taro."

"I'm sorry, Akane. There is nothing you can offer me that would make me want to change his name. It’s a wonderful name and he should be happy to have it!" Happosai turned and started towards the door.

"Not even some new pretties?"

This stopped Happosai mid-stride, right arm in mid swing and left leg still in the air. Putting his foot down, he turned around slowly. 

"New pretties?"

"Yes."

"Akane, as much as I would like to have some of your pretties, getting a pair, even willingly given, wouldn't be enough."

"How about more than one pair?"

Happosai seemed to be giving the suggestion some thought.

"And not just from me."

Interest piqued, he asked, "How many and from whom?"

Smiling, Akane was, for once, glad that she had gone through so many negotiations with Nabiki. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma had barely made it home for dinner. He spent much of his afternoon at various team practices and club meetings. It took some time, but he talked to as many of the different groups of boys as possible and _tried_ to convince them that their engagement was, in fact, still valid. Most seemed to accept the situation quickly but he also knew that some of his words fell on deaf ears.

Once seated at the table, he was pleased to note that Akane seemed happy. 

"Akane, will you please get Grandfather for me?"

"Sorry, Kasumi, I forgot to tell you that Grandfather has left for a short training trip. He won't be back home until Friday, the earliest."

"Hear that, Saotome? He's gone!"

"Yes! Let's celebrate!"

"Hey, I'm as happy as the next guy that the old fart is gone, but dancing around like that is just embarrassin’. Will ya sit down, so we can eat please?!"

"Fine, fine. Kasumi dear, can you get the sake, please?"

"Genma, _honey,_ don't you think you should wait until after dinner to start your celebration?"

Clearing his throat and sitting down quickly, Genma responded, "Of course No-chan, of course."

The rest of dinner went by quickly before the members of the family left to attend to their various activities. Checking to make sure that Ranma was busy, Akane discreetly followed Nodoka into the kitchen. 

"Aunty, do you need some help with the dishes?"

Once the Saotomes moved back into the Tendo home, Nodoka and Kasumi came to an agreement regarding household chores. No one else understood their schedule or the division of labor but the two matriarchs were happy and the house was running like a finely oiled machine, so everyone else was fine being left in the dark. Today it seemed it was Nodoka's turn to do the dishes. 

"I’d love the help Akane." The two women worked together in silence. As they finished up, Nodoka asked, "Akane, did you have something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes...Aunty, would you still be willing to help me with my cooking?"

Nodoka looked at Akane, who was apprehensively biting her bottom lip. "Of course, sweetie. Why don't we have some tea and talk about it? Will you please boil the water?" Relieved that this was one request she could handle, Akane smiled. 

Seated at the family room table, Nodoka looked at Akane kindly. "What has you so worried, Akane?"

In response, Akane laughed. "You're kidding, right? Don't you remember what happened when you tried to teach me last time? I practically destroyed the kitchen."

"Yes, I remember. But forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't you manage to cook a very nice curry a while ago?" Akane was surprised that she knew. "Kasumi mentioned it to me."

"Oh. Yes, I managed to make the curry pretty well, not as good as Kasumi's, but I thought it was tasty."

"And what did you do differently that day?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean."

"When you were cooking, were you alone? Were you frustrated? Happy? Calm?"

"Well, I was alone, since Kasumi went out that night, and I was in a really good mood that day. We had just gotten our midterm back and I got an A."

"Ok, and how long have you been cooking?"

"Not long, I never really tried cooking until I started home economics when I got to Furinkan."

"How did you do?"

"Not great, but not terrible either."

"I see. Yes, I think we should definitely restart your cooking lessons. However, we are going to need to set-up some ground rules. Agreed?"

Akane wasn’t sure what that meant but it sounded oddly ominous, "Of course, Aunty."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shampoo was sick and tired of Japan and she was done being rejected by Ranma, who treated her like some kind of leper. Didn't he realize how many men would love to get their hands on her body? He should be groveling at her feet and giving thanks for allowing him to touch her. But no, the stupid fool kept on refusing her!

The problem was, when she looked at his other options, she couldn’t figure out why he was doing it. For starters, there was no way that he could be interested in the crazy gymnast. Sure she was pretty enough, had a decent body that she seemed very comfortable showing off, and happened to be wealthy. But her laugh alone could cause a man to go soft faster than seeing Great-grandmother in a bikini. And despite what men liked to think, crazy did not always equate to being good in the sack. 

The cook was obviously not a threat to her either. Sure she was also attractive, but what man would want to be with a woman who was often mistaken for a boy? If the cook was smart, she would try to show off her assets instead of binding them all the time. The one thing she had going for her was that she could cook. But it wasn't a big deal since she seemed to only be able to make one dish. Besides, Shampoo was a much better cook than that butch girl could ever hope to be.

But that...that _girl_ was a different story. From the very beginning, _she_ had been a thorn in Shampoo’s side. Even before she could really understand the language, she could tell by reading their body language that _she_ had some hold on Ranma. So, Shampoo did what any good Amazon would, she tried to eliminate the competition. She realized now that had been the wrong thing to do, as it only brought out Ranma’s protective side.

After all this time, Shampoo still didn't get what Ranma saw in that girl. She could admit that Akane was cute and was apparently popular, too. Shampoo had heard several groups of boys talking about her looks and the groups of girls would often mention her kindness. In truth, Shampoo thought they were all blind. All she saw was an angry, violent, annoying girl who couldn’t cook and could barely be called a martial artist. Not to mention she physically had very little to be proud of.

Unlike her own voluptuous figure. 

Shampoo stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She had spent a lot of time getting herself ready that evening but it was worth it. She looked spectacular. Her hair was thick, shiny, and it flowed around her body with every turn of her head. Her make-up had been applied flawlessly, emphasizing her luscious lips and bedroom eyes. The outfit she picked out for the night displayed her body to perfection. Her breasts were barely contained, standing perky and proud. Her midsection was bare, showing how narrow and toned her stomach was. Every inch of her silky smooth legs was available for perusal. With one last smirk, she pulled her robe on, tying it loosely, put on her delicate slippers and headed for the door.

Tonight, she would seduce Ranma and then soon, she would finally be able to go home. Once Ranma got to experience a night with a real woman, he would forget all about the silly little girls around him. And when they got back to her village, she planned to use these skills to keep him in line; by rewarding him with pleasure when he was well behaved and denying him when he was not. After all, men really are simple creatures.

She knew she had to tread carefully tonight, but she had a plan. And THIS time, her plan would work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma had gone to bed that night after working himself to near exhaustion, and for someone who was in top physical shape, that was saying something. He couldn’t explain the frustration that was welling up inside of him. Normally, he was able to let things go but he recognized how easily agitated he was becoming.

Everything for him had changed when he thought Akane was dead. The first time. When he saw her turning that kinjakan and suddenly disappear, he thought she had died. And something inside him died too. He'd never felt so numb, so empty before. At that moment, everything else ceased to matter. He had no idea what happened next. All he could remember was the Guide trying to take away the only thing he had left of Akane. There had been a flash of anger as he tried to hold onto the last items of clothing she wore but that fell quickly into despair.

What was the point? It'd didn't matter if they took the clothes that she was wearing. They weren’t hers. No, in his mind he would always picture her in her school uniform. Which really did nothing for her figure, but somehow still looked perfect on her. 

He'd never see her smile again. That one perfect smile that always made his heart race. The smile that offered him friendship so easily. The smile that he fell in love with instantaneously. That smile was gone, forever. So nothing else mattered.

Then miraculously, the Guide produced a doll from within her clothing and told him that Akane was still alive! Relief coursed through him when he found out he had a chance to save her. Vowing that nothing would stand in his way, he fought like he never had before to bring her back to him. He had fought and killed a demi-god for her and he'd do it again. He had given that arrogant bastard a chance to give him the water, to save his love, and the prick just taunted him. It was the first time he had ever taken a life and he felt no guilt. And not because Saffron was reborn. He'd do anything to save her. 

When she lay in his arms, unresponsive and incredibly cold, he had believed it was too late. He covered her too cold body to preserve her modesty. But it was too late. She was beyond caring over any embarrassment her nudity would cause her. But he did it anyway. She deserved every last bit of dignity he could offer her.

He froze, no longer able to think but feeling too much for him to contain. So he started rambling, his thoughts just spilling out of him. He was finally able to express his feelings for her, but even then he fumbled. He’d screamed in his head the three words that he always wanted to tell her. The three words he had always been too scared to say to her. He wanted to say them out loud. This was his final chance. But he knew that the others were around and the words he had always wanted to say to her were for her to hear alone.

Yet somehow she’d heard him, and she'd come back. He'd never felt such relief followed by terror at what he may have said. He truly was a coward and couldn't risk being rejected by the one person he loved most in the world.

Even though he couldn't tell her the truth about what he felt, he would keep the promise to protect her and to keep her safe. The people attacking them - her to get to him - wouldn't be tolerated anymore. Bombs thrown at her, so shortly after her life was in danger, became unforgivable. 

After an hour or so of his thoughts slowly growing darker, Ranma knew he wasn’t going to sleep. He had to calm down before he did anything too drastic. He jumped out his bedroom window so he could take a walk.

For the first time in his life, Ranma found himself meandering around. If there was one thing Ranma never did, it was meander. He could walk miles with a boulder on his back without getting tired, but that was training and had a purpose. The rest of his life was spent rushing from one place to another. This was new, and to his surprise, the mindless walking worked. 

He entered a park and was soon reliving memories of a nice afternoon spent with Akane. Ranma came upon the hedge where he had once given her some roses and decided to lay on his back on a nearby patch of grass to finish his daydreaming.

Unbeknownst to Ranma, Shampoo had been following him since he’d left the house. She was surprised to see him go and decided to follow him at a distance. When she saw that he had stopped in a secluded part of the park, she smirked. Looking around, she realized they were alone and would likely not be interrupted at that time of night. Feeling bold, Shampoo loosened the knot on her robe and let it drop to the ground before stepping on the path leading to Ranma.

Ranma quickly sat upright as his instincts finally kicked in and he saw the girl walk slowly to towards him. He was annoyed when he realized who it was, but then his eyes widened when he took in her appearance. 

Shampoo was wearing what could loosely be described as a bra but looked more like two small triangles of lace that barely covered her nipples. Even from this distance, he could tell she was cold. Her bottom half was barely covered by the tiniest pair of matching panties he had ever seen and she had put on a garter belt that held up black thigh high stockings that led to a pair of bright red four inch heels.

Despite her many, many flaws, Shampoo was physically a young man’s wet dream. He tried to look away. He really did. But he was a hot blooded 17 year old male and his big head was slowly losing the battle to his little one.

Shampoo felt triumphant. She could feel Ranma's eyes travel over her body and it was obvious any resistance he had was waning. She walked as seductively as she could towards him, running one hand through her hair and the other over her stomach.

Ranma gulped. “Whachya doin here?”

“Shampoo go see Ranma at home, saw him jump out window and follow here.”

“You shouldn’t try to sneak into my room.”

“Shampoo want to show Ranma what like to be husband and wife. We have good time, I promise.”

Ranma closed his eyes and shook his head. It was easier to think when he wasn't looking temptation in the, um…face. “No. I've already told you that I'm not interested.”

When Ranma did not receive a response, he opened his eyes and was startled to see that Shampoo was on her hand and knees, her upper body perched over his legs. She looked down pointedly at the bulge in his pants and purred, "Your body say different." 

Ranma looked around frantically, and tried to back up. “Are you crazy?!?! We’re in public!”

In response, she licked her lips and lunged forward, her arms wrapping around his neck, her chest pressed against his, and her mouth moving towards his. 

He heard a faint click and a moment later they were splashed as the sprinkler system activated. 

“C-C-CAT!!!!” could be heard in the distance as a buxom redhead ran around in circles, unsuccessfully trying to dislodge a small purple cat from his person.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was deep asleep and only stirred when she heard the sounds of scratching and mewing. In her sleep laden state, it took her a few moments to figure out that the sounds were coming from her bedroom door. As she opened it, she was shocked to find her fiancé on all fours and soaking wet, streaking past her into her bedroom. 

“Ranma?” she muttered before he came to her side and started rubbing against her leg while purring. Akane knelt down and sat next to her fiancé. “Ranma, what happened to you? Why are you soaking wet? Well, come on, we’ll get you to the bathroom and change you back.” 

Akane stood up and walked towards the furoba. When she got halfway down the hall she realized that she was alone. Returning to her room to get Ranma, she found the redhead had curled up into a ball and already half asleep on her bed. She walked over and started to gently shake him, “Come on, get up.” In response, Ranma purred louder and shifted his body to a slightly more comfortable position. 

Akane took a moment to consider her choices. One, she could pick Ranma up, drag him to the furoba and dump him into the furo to change him back. Two, she could heat up the water and bring it back to her room, hopefully triggering the transformation and waking Ranma. Three, she could go back to bed. The first option felt like way too much effort and was kind of mean. The second option felt like it would take too much time and she really didn’t want to be sitting in the cold kitchen when she could be asleep in her nice warm, now slightly damp bed. Decision made, Akane crawled into the space between Ranma and the wall, falling fast asleep, her last thought being, _‘He_ _’_ _s a cat_ and _a girl right now. This doesn_ _’_ _t mean anything._ _’_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane stirred a little as the morning sunlight hit her face. Not wanting to get up, she turned her face to the side and snuggled down into her blanket and pulled her stuffed animal closer into her body. She felt so warm and comfortable she was lulled back to sleep. It took Akane a few moments to realize that she didn’t sleep with stuffed animals anymore and even if she did have one, it wouldn’t be holding her waist and trying to snuggle closer to her chest. She quickly opened her eyes to stare down and saw a head full of red hair and her face suddenly turned a similar shade as she took in their positions.

It took another moment for her to remember the events of the previous night. She tried to quickly and quietly get out of bed before Ranma woke up, but when she tried to wriggle out of his arms, Ranma would just pull her in tighter. 

She stifled a giggle. She really _should_ wake him up. But she was rather comfortable and didn’t blame him for wanting to snuggle in tighter, the idea was oddly enticing at the moment. No one would _know_ if she just stayed there for a just a _little_ while longer, would they? 

Finally, looking at the time and realizing that she had to get up, she tried to wake her fiancé up.

“Ranma!” She whispered, “Wake up!”

Ranma stirred, feeling oddly refreshed and content. Since their return from China, he hadn’t slept well. When they first got back, he had nightmares and would wake up frantic and sweating. As he gained equilibrium and realized where he was, he calmed down but he would stay agitated with worry for his fiancée. He would then sneak into Akane’s room to check up on her to satisfy his need to know that she was truly safe. Only then could he return to his room in hopes of falling back asleep.

After the failed wedding, his dreams changed. They were filled with vivid images of his friends pulling a protesting Akane, wearing a wedding dress, away from him. She would then morph into a little doll he carried around in his chest while trying to fight fire. When his dream got to the point where Akane returned to her regular size but stayed motionless in his arms, a small smile gracing her face, he would wake up violently, bolting up to a sitting position as he scanned his surroundings frantically. 

This was the first night that he was able to sleep all the way through and his body refused to budge. He hugged his pillow closer to his body, burrowing his face into its warmth, enjoying the soft scent that was so comforting to him. 

Somewhere in between sleep and consciousness, he recognized someone calling his name.

“Hmm, fibe mo minnets,” Ranma responded while rubbing her face against the softness of the pillow.

Now becoming beet red, Akane shook the boy lightly and said in a louder voice, “Ranma! Wake up!”

“Don’t wanna, too comfy.”

Having to stifle a moan at the sensations his unintentional motor boating was causing her, Akane took some calming breaths. It would not do to wake up the entire house and she needed to get him out of her room before anyone found them in this position or she would find herself in another hastily orchestrated wedding.

She was just about to try pinching Ranma, when he said, “This is the best dream,” as he rubbed his face against her once more.

‘ _What exactly, was he dreaming of?_ ’ She wondered and her thoughts started to run away from her. Now getting hot all over she hissed, “Ranma. RANMA!”

Ranma was having a very nice dream about the previous evening. Only, in his dream it was Akane perched over him, her eyes lingering on the bulge of his excitement as she slowly lifted her eyes towards him and made her way over his body. Engrossed in watching the girl in front of him, he barely felt someone shaking his shoulder. He shook the feeling off, not wanting to take his eyes off the blue-haired beauty and the way her breasts swayed as she moved over him. Or the way she bit her lip seductively before giving him a smoldering smile that promised him untold delights. He wanted to touch her so badly. To see if her skin felt as soft as it looked. His hand twitched as he began to reach for her.

But the person trying to get his attention was frustratingly persistent. He turned his head to see who could be bothering him at such a time and to tell the person to go to hell, when he realized he was looking at Akane. 

Wait, Akane? Wasn’t she…

Now fully awake, he quickly gauged his current position and predicament. He threw his head back as far as possible, loosening his grip and tumbling off the bed. 

He was starting to exclaim, “I’M…” when a hand came down and covered his mouth.

“Shhhh!!!!!!!!! You’ll wake everyone up!”

He looked around frantically, “What...why…am I in your room?” he whispered.

Akane blushed.

“You were…it doesn’t matter! You need to go before someone catches you in here!”

Ranma’s face paled and he nodded his understanding. He stepped towards the door before he heard Akane hiss, “Idiot, use the window! The window!”

Ranma rubbed the back of his head awkwardly with one hand and muttered, “Umm. Sorry.” He was out the window a second later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After Ranma had snuck out of her room, Akane dressed quickly and dashed off for her morning run, hoping to expel some of her pent up energy. After her run had done little to calm her, she forced herself to take a cold shower. 

Breakfast that morning was a little awkward. Akane had been so embarrassed that she refused to make eye contact. Following her example, Ranma had also eaten quickly and silently before they left for school. Knowing that she had to broach the subject soon, she was about to break the silence, but was surprised when Ranma beat her to it.

"Umm, hey, Akane?"

"Yes, Ranma?"

"Umm, sorry 'bout earlier. Ummm. I didn't...I mean..."

"Don't worry about it, Ranma. It was kinda my fault."

Looking slightly relieved, Ranma said, "Really? Do ya mind tellin' me what happened? A-and how I ended up in...," he cleared his throat, "your...ummm...bed?"

"Well, I don't really know how, but you were in Neko mode. Sometime late last night, or was it early this morning? It doesn't matter. I woke up and heard mewing at my door and what sounded like scratching. When I opened the door, you came in, acting...well, you know, like a cat."

"Ok, but...how did I end up in..."

"That's where it was kinda my fault. I was really tired and groggy, I mean _really_ tired. You kind of bound in my room and jumped onto my bed. I told you to follow me to the furoba but when I got down the hall, you weren’t there. By the time I got back you were asleep. Like I said, I was really tired, and I should have taken you to the furoba or gotten some hot water from the kitchen but I just really wanted to go to sleep. And you were curled into a ball on the corner of my bed! I had _no idea_ that you…we would end up, well umm...you know...the way you did." Akane finally finished with a slightly red face.

Ranma was looking at Akane with some shock. Was it just him or was she acting embarrassed? It was obvious from her little verbal spew that his fiancée was flustered, but for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. He remembered waking up and seeing her face but that was all. Did something else happen? Was she hiding it? If she didn’t want to tell him, he figured he didn’t need to know.

"It's ok. Sorry, I bothered you last night."

They walked a little further in silence before Akane asked, "So, what happened? How did you end up in Neko mode?"

"Ummm. Well, last night I couldn't sleep and I went for a walk to clear my head. I ended up at the park and suddenly Shampoo showed up in...." Ranma paused. He really didn't want to describe to Akane what Shampoo was wearing, much less how she acted. "Well, she just showed up. When I told her to leave, she jumped at me and just got her tentacles on me when the sprinklers started. And you know, she just wouldn't let go! That's really the last thing I remember."

Ranma looked sideways at Akane, afraid that she would be mad at him for being with Shampoo last night, but it really wasn't his fault! To his surprise, Akane burst out laughing. 

"Geez, Ranma. I don't know how you do it. It's like you end up in one really awkward situation after another. Are you sure the Jusenkyo curse is the only one you received during your training?"

Ranma, unsure of how to respond, and for once, made the smart decision to stay quiet. It was then that he remembered that he wanted to ask Akane about the morning attacks. 

"So, 'kane, what happened yesterday? I know the reason they attacked you, but why didn't you fight back?"

Akane explained her theory to Ranma. He was surprised by her logic, but was supportive, telling her that her plan would probably work. He had intentionally avoided telling her about his conversations with the boys at school the day before. He was happy to let her think she was handling it on her own.

Realizing they were getting close to school, Akane took a deep breath and started a conversation she wished she could avoid. "Umm. But there's this one thing. I don't know if I can successfully dodge Kuno. I mean, I'm sure I can but he's strong enough that I may actually have to strike back, which would ruin the plan. I was lucky yesterday, he seemed so shocked I wasn’t fighting that he never attacked. So...Ranma, I need you to do me a favor." Swallowing her pride proved more difficult than she had thought. "I need you to take care of Kuno for me."

Shocked, Ranma had stopped walking and gaped at her. Did he hear her right? Did Akane actually ask him to fight her fight for her? This was surely the sign of the apocalypse, right? Ranma glanced up to see if the sky was falling. Then he glanced down to make sure that the ground wouldn't split open and swallow him whole. He glanced left and didn’t see any dark hooded horsemen riding his way. He glanced right and there were no swarming locusts either.

When Ranma looked like he wasn't going to respond, Akane felt her heart sink. Was he looking around like that so he could avoid her gaze? She didn't think she would really have to try hard to get Ranma to beat up Kuno, who was a constant annoyance to them both. 

"You know, it's okay. You don't have to do anything, I'll figure it out."

"Huh? What'ya talkin bout? Of course I'll take care of Kuno for ya. I mean, you're right, a chick as slow as you would never be able to avoid his attacks. Now, if you trained more and got a lil faster, like my female side, _maybe_ you'd have a chance."

Now walking beside his fiancée again, Ranma obliviously missed Akane's fist clenching and the rigid way she was holding herself. With gritted teeth, Akane seethed, "Thanks a lot, Ranma."

Oblivious to her sarcasm, he blithely replied, "No problem! After all, it's a martial artist’s duty to protect the weak."

Fortunately for Ranma's physical wellbeing, not to mention Akane's temper, they neared the school and both heard the now familiar battle cry of delusional boys preparing for their daily challenge. Picking up her pace, Akane surged forward dodging all the boys expertly. She saw Kuno, who was for once, in the middle of the pack of boys. She was able to step just left of his swing, and trusting that Ranma was behind her and ready to take over, she ignored his next attack, running full speed ahead, only stopping when she reached the top of the stairs. Looking backwards, she saw Ranma standing casually on Kuno's head, his hands in his pockets, while the kendoist was face down and spread eagle on the ground, a broken bokken lying next to him. Akane gave Ranma a nod and a small grateful smile before heading into the building. 

Blushing slightly at the smile he received from Akane, Ranma stared at her until she disappeared into the building before looking around him. He was peeved that the attacks occurred for a second day but slightly mollified by the fact that only a few of the people he spoke to yesterday had shown up today. In fact, now that he took a quick count, he realized that the boys standing around only accounted for half of the people that had participated yesterday. Ranma paid special attention to sports uniforms and faces of the boys in attendance - so that he could have “chats” with them later on - before following after his petite fiancée.

He blithely walked down the length of Kuno’s body, making sure to dig his heels in with every step. Normally he’d feel guilty for kicking a man while he was down but there was plenty of residual anger he had towards the wannabe lothario for his part in the wedding disaster, so he made an exception. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma’s eyes were trained on the wall clock. A couple more minutes and it would finally be lunch time. He was hoping he could spend the time with Akane today since she was bound to be solicitous towards him after the help he gave her this morning. He thought of the smile she gave him this morning and suddenly felt smug. He loved when Akane acknowledged his skills and more so when she showed him appreciation for his efforts, even when it was as simple as that smile she had graced him with.

Lost in thought, he missed the teacher announcing lunch and the bell, and was shaken out of his daydream by someone bumping his desk on their way out the door. He turned to Akane's desk to find that she was already gone. Looking around, he found her already in the corner of the room deep in conversation with half a dozen girls. 

Disappointed, he decided to have lunch outside and then talk to as many of the morning challengers as he could find.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once again, Akane found herself walking home from school alone. It had been another long day for her but unlike yesterday, she was invigorated instead of tired. She blushed a little as she began to review her day and remembered the very nice way in which it had it had begun. She hadn't shared a bed with anyone since she was a little kid and then, her sisters never cuddled up with her. It was so nice waking up wrapped in Ranma’s arms. He was so strong - even as a girl – that she couldn’t help but feel safe in his embrace. Though she was embarrassed to think about how much his face resting between her breasts affected her. 

She shook her head, this was no time for those kinds thoughts. She had other things to accomplish and wanted to keep her wits about her. She saw her quarry up ahead, waiting impatiently for her. 

"Good afternoon, Taro."

"Hey. So, what happened after you kicked me out yesterday?"

Akane rolled her eyes at his lack of greeting and his obvious annoyance. After half an hour in the same room with Happosai and Taro yesterday, Akane realized that having Taro being baited by Happosai was making negotiations harder. She wisely decided to send him away with instructions to meet her at the bridge today. 

"Well, after you left, I finally got him to agree to terms that I think we can all be happy with."

Taro stood up straight, excitement pouring off him. "Really?" 

"Yes. Do you want to hear all of it or just your part?"

He didn't really care about the rest of it but knew better than to say that, she was helping him out after all. 

"All of it."

Surprised but pleased Akane began to tell Taro about what she had termed _The Panty Treaty_. 

"Grandfather has agreed to change your name and stop the panty raids at the school - which includes not peeping in the showers. Actually, we agreed that he would only be allowed on school grounds once a month, just to keep him away from temptation. Additionally, he has agreed that he will no longer interrupt _anyone_ at my house. In exchange, I have to get all the girls at school to give him one 'pretty'. I'll be organizing all the homeroom classes on a yearly schedule so that Grandfather has a new supply every month and each girl only has to make one ‘donation’ a year. The first trade will occur on Monday, so I have until then to get everyone to agree."

Taro was impressed by her forethought but saw several blaring wholes in her plan. 

“You put a lot of thought into this, huh?”

“Yes.”

“And how much did you have to change your plans so they included me?”

“Surprisingly, not much. I knew it would have to be something big to get him to stay away from the school, so I just made him think that changing your name was a non-negotiable part of the plan.”

"What if the girls at your school don't go along with the plan? What if they give him something he doesn't think is fitting? What happens if he decides that he isn’t happy with just one 'donation' as you call it?"

"Well, I have it all planned but you shouldn't be too worried about it, not your part at least. He's agreed to change your name after he receives half of the _pretties_ from the first group. After that, I suggest you leave quickly and avoid him at all costs. Like, for the rest of your life. He can't change your name if he doesn't see you. I couldn’t get him to agree to never change your name again, sorry."

"Ok. But how are you going to get the girls to go along with it? And do they trust him?"

"I already talked to some girls today. Surprisingly, they were easy to convince. They are just as tired as I am of not being able to change and shower in peace. I'll talk to the rest of the class tomorrow and work on talking to the rest of the school this week, let me worry about that. I had Happosai take a short training trip for the remainder of the week as a sign of good faith that he will stop his peeping. So the girls get at least a one week reprieve from the madness."

Suspicious by nature, Taro asked, "So, they were just willing to help me out?"

"No, they weren’t.” Akane looked a little sheepish at this. “Some of them wondered why you were getting something for nothing. So, I had to find a compromise. Each girl who donates that month, gets to request your services for one chore. It has to be reasonable, so don't worry about being made a slave or anything." She waved her hand dismissively.

"What kind of chore?"

"Well, my friend Sayuri just broke up with her boyfriend, she found him cheating on her..."

"So, she wants me to beat him up?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "No. She wants you to take her on a date at the restaurant where he works, so she can rub it in his face. She’ll pay. Another one of the girls has a brother who is moving into a new apartment the following week and wants you to help lift furniture. The rest of the girls are going to need time to think about it."

Taro thought it over. There really didn't seem to be a downside for him. Sure he could have a lot of work coming up but he didn't mind physical labor. And the sadistic side of him thought the fake date sounded kinda fun; he loved riling people up. It would all be worth it if he could finally be called Awesome. 

"Okay. I'm in."

"Great. You know, it would help me convince everyone else, if you showed up tomorrow after school and took Sayuri on that date. It'll be another sign of good faith, like Grandfather staying away this week."

"Sure. That's fine. Tell her I'll meet her after school." Taro proceeded to walk her home in the best mood he'd been in for a long time. "So, what do you want out of all this?"

Akane looked at him confused. "I don't understand. I told you what I'm getting out of the deal."

"Yes, from Happosai. What about from me?"

"Oh, that? Ummm. Nothing really.” She smirked, “Trust me, I can do my own heavy lifting."

Eyebrow quirked, Taro stopped her. "Look, I know you didn't need to help me out. Your plan would've worked without me. My part is just icing on the cake but it's not even your icing. So seriously, what do you want? I owe you for this."

Akane was a little surprised. Taro had always seemed like a brash jerk that would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. But she realized that he too was a martial artist and his pride required him to repay favors. 

"Well, to be honest, I don't need anything from you but I have something you can do; stop with the name calling when you talk to Ranma."

"What?"

"The name calling. Look, I know you guys need something to taunt each other, I get that. Just lay off the names that have to do with his curse. No more femboy, tranny, or calling him a girl. Can you do that for me?"

Taro shrugged, "Sure. There are plenty of other things I can call him."

"That's the spirit."

As they reached the gates of the dojo, Taro asked, "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you, specifically? I still feel like I am getting a lot more than I am giving here."

Akane laughed. "Look, having one less person have a reason to kidnap me is good enough. Not unless you want to spar with me, of course. I could always use a sparring partner," she joked.

"Sparring? Doesn't fem...Ranma spar with you?"

"No, Ranma dodges and evades, he never really attacks or hits me. You know, forget it. I was just kidding, I'm sure you don't want to spar with me." _No one does,_ she thought sadly. 

Taro crossed his arms over his chest, "Sparring it is. When do you want to start?"

"Really? You'll spar with me?" Akane bounced up and down, excitedly. "I was just about to do some katas but sparring sounds so much better. Wanna meet me in the dojo? I'm gonna change real quick."

"Actually, I prefer it if we did it outdoors. It feels more like a natural combat environment to me. Do you have a park or something we can use?"

"Actually, there is an abandoned lot that would be perfect for this, we passed it on the way here. It's three blocks down." She pointed in front of her. "Make a left and three blocks over. I'm going to change and meet you there."

She then turned and raced into the house before he could change his mind. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane had sweat dripping down her face, smudges of dirt all over her gi, and was panting with exhaustion. She was sure that she’d be completely sore tomorrow and would have a spectacular bruise on her ribs along with some minor cuts on both her arms. She had just landed on her hip after successfully blocking a kick and unsuccessfully blocking the punch that followed. She could feel another bruise already forming on the hip she fell on.

The petite martial artist was having the time of her life. 

They had been sparring for over half an hour. At first, she was afraid that Taro wasn’t taking her seriously; his movements were slow and tentative. She quickly realized that he was testing her abilities, never having seen her in a fight. Once he had gauged her skill level, he began to spar with her in earnest. 

She was happy to see that he had no issues hitting her because she was a girl. Akane was surprised to learn that while he was baiting her, he wasn’t demeaning her skills in anyway. In fact, he encouraged her when she did well and gave her suggestions on how to modify her movements or improve her strategy where he could. 

Taro walked over to her and was just leaning down to help her up when he was suddenly thrown across the abandoned lot. A red and black clad figure stood between them, battle aura ablaze.

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**A/N:** I hope you liked how Akane plans to deal with Happosai. Big thanks to **PepperonyOwl** , **KaikiH,** and **alwaysZutarian** for betaing this story for me!

If you like the cover art for the story, it was created by **Lady Tiger Lily** , who kindly gave me permission to use it. She has an account on Deviant Art, check it out if you can, her pictures are freaking adorable. 

Original Publication Date: May 27, 2014

Revised: May 8, 2015


	3. Arc I: The Plan, Chapter: Misunderstandings

Ranma left school with a spring in his step. It had been easier than he thought to convince the rest of the morning attackers that his engagement with Akane was still valid. The combination of Akane refusing all "challenges" and his loud and threatening conversations with the culprits had done the trick. Hopefully, the only person who would be attacking Akane in the mornings now was Kuno. Since he never gave up his challenges the first time around, that didn't change anything.

Walking home rather pleased with himself, he heard the familiar sounds of flesh hitting flesh that any martial artist would recognize as a fight taking place. Looking around, he realized he was right near the empty lot Ryoga sometimes camped out in. Curious as to whom the combatants were, he rounded the corner and easily recognized Pantyhose Taro who was sending a kick at...

He froze when he recognized his fiancée trying to defend herself. His heart started beating wildly as he thought, _I'll kill that bastard if he lays a finger on her._ As he watched, he unwillingly acknowledged that Akane was handling herself rather well. That thought ended quickly whenhe saw Taro land a punch on her pectorals, causing her to fall and hit the ground violently.

Vision going red, he watched Taro walk towards Akane and reach down to grab her. Acting on instinct, he ran forward, not even sensing his ki increase as he punched Taro in the face, and sent him flying across the lot. He then took a defensive stance in front of the blue-haired girl still on the ground.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"Ranma?"

"You can't possibly think I'd tolerate you kidnapping her again!”

"Ranma!"

He moved forward as Pantyhose got up off the ground, only stopping when he felt a small, familiar hand on his chest. Not bothering to look down he said, "Akane, move. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No, Ranma."

"Why the hell not? He was attacking you!"

"Ranma, he wasn't."

"That's right, I wasn't doing anything to her that she didn't want." Pantyhose smirked, purposely letting his eyes roam over the girl that stood between them. He was mad as hell at getting sucker punched and was itching to hit that pussy in the face. Pissing him off was just a bonus.

Narrowing his eyes, Ranma put his hands on Akane's shoulders in an attempt to move her to the side but was stopped by her struggles. Taking his eyes off Pantyhose for the first time, he looked down to see Akane, her eyes full with concern. 

"Ranma, stop. Please," she pleaded.

Ranma looked at her confused. _Why is she trying to stop me? The only other time she got in the middle of one of my fights, it was to protect Shinnosuke._ His eyes widened. _NO! She couldn't possibly..._

"Yeah, listen to her like a good little boy."

"Taro! You're not helping. I think you should leave."

Taro shrugged. He really wanted to continue this fight but he wasn't willing to alienate the one person who was instrumental in getting his name changed. If he couldn’t attack Ranma physically, he would at least attack him verbally and get the pleasure of pissing him off in the process. And everyone knew that when it came to Ranma, there was one sure way to get him riled up. 

"Anything you say, sweet cheeks. I'll see you after school tomorrow for that date we talked about." With that parting shot, he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at Ranma before walking towards the street, laughing on the inside. If looks could kill, he’d already be six feet under. 

Ranma could feel his whole body start to shake in anger. There was no way he could actually mean he had a date with Akane, right? But then why would he be LOOKING at her like that. 

"Date? Are you going to tell me what's happening? What date? When did you start hanging around with him? Why did he say date? When the HELL did he start doing what you tell him? What does he mean he is going on a DATE with YOU?"

Akane sighed, "Ranma, calm down. I can explain about the date..."

"SO THERE IS A DATE?"

"Yes, but..."

"NO! No buts!"

"Ranma...”

"There is NOT going to be a date!"

"I'm trying..." 

"No way in hell!"

"Please listen..."

"I won't allow it!"

"...what?"

"You heard me! I won't let you go on a date with him!"

"Let me?"

"That’s right!"

" _Let_ me?"

"You'll go over my dead body!"

"LETme? Who do you think you are?"

"YOUR fiancé, that's who!"

"That's right, you're my _fiancé_. You are NOT my husband. You are definitely NOT my father. You have NO right to 'allow' me to do anything!" She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest with her index finger.

"And let's get one thing straight right now, Ranma Saotome," poke, “when we do get married one day, you would still have no right to TELL," poke, "ME," poke, "WHAT," poke, "TO," poke, "DO!"

She emphasized the point by bringing both fists down to her sides and proceeded to storm off. 

Ranma stared at the angry girl’s back as she stalked off. He was still angry and if he were honest, just a little bit scared, but mainly confused. He still had no idea what the hell was going on.

Taking a deep breath he looked around, trying to find something, anything that would give him a clue. Finding nothing, he decided to follow Akane home...at a slight distance. Despite what people thought of him, he really was able to learn from his mistakes and knew that this would be a bad time to further irritate his fiancée.

Unfortunately for him, he still hadn’t learned the importance of listening carefully.

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Akane stomped the entire way home and barely managed to restrain herself from slamming the front door behind her. Making her way upstairs to get a clean pair of clothes and a towel, she then headed for the furoba. She sat on the stool, furiously scrubbing the sweat and dirt, not to mention a layer of skin, from her body.

_I can't believe he thinks he can tell me what I can and cannot do! I don't care how much I love him, I will NOT be someone he can just order around._

After rinsing off and sitting down in the warm water, she let herself enjoy the way her muscles loosened up. She hadn't been able to take a long quiet soak since Happosai came to town, always fearing being walked in on. 

_All the work I'm going to have to put into this will be worth it if I can spend more time like this._

Her thoughts slowly turned back towards her fiancé and his reaction to Taro. It was so obvious that Taro was trying to annoy Ranma by insinuating they had a date planned. She had tried, really tried to stay calm and it had worked; up to a certain point. All she had wanted to do was explain the circumstances to him, but then he started yelling at her and telling her what to do. Which caused her to completely lose it. 

But she really didn't understand why he was so worked up over it. He should know she'd never go out on a date with someone else. She never dated, not unless you counted her revenge dates with Ryoga, and she certainly didn't. So why get upset? 

Letting herself sink further into the water until it reached her mouth, she began blowing on the surface, causing small ripples to form around her. 

Could it be possible that he was jealous? Ranma was always a little possessive with her when it came to other men, but he'd been like that pretty much since they met. She'd always thought it was some sort of male ego thing; he didn't want anyone messing with what was his, even if he didn't want it himself. Which was pretty childish but no one ever accused her fiancé of being mature. 

Ranma jealous; it wasn't an absurd idea. She remembered he had reacted in a similar way to Shinnosuke when he thought she was leaving him. He had yelled and demanded to know why she would choose Shinnosuke over him. Wasn't that what he was doing earlier?

Influenced by the calm surrounding her, she let her mind drift to what happened at the end of their trip to Ryugenzawa. Ranma had risked his life to save her, even when he thought she had picked someone else. Then she had gone and done the same thing, risking her life to save his. She did it without pause, without thought, without remorse, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

It was also the first time he really showed her affection. Akane’s lips quirked into a smile as she remembered him slowly, anxiously offering her his hand. At first she was confused by his slow jerky motions, but when she realized what he intended, her heart felt like it would burst with happiness. They spent their entire trip home holding hands, only reluctantly separating when they reached the platform for Nerima.

She smiled at the memories. It _was_ flattering that he cared enough to get jealous and suddenly she wasn't angry anymore. Actually she was a little pleased, not at his ordering her about, but because he was always so protective of her. 

She wouldn't admit it but she knew exactly what kind of stupidity jealousy brought out in a person. The rest of her bath was spent in quiet contemplation and day dreams. By the time she sat down for dinner, she had already forgiven him.

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Ranma was fully prepared to deal with an angry Akane at dinner. He just didn't know which angry Akane he was going to be faced with. Would she be the fuming girl that would use any excuse to lash out at him? Or would she be cold and silent, pretending he didn't exist? He hoped it was the former. While her anger was a force to be reckoned with, he absolutely couldn’t stand being ignored by her. 

He was surprised to see Akane looking perfectly happy when she reached the table. She had come in with a smile on her face and greeted everyone. Including him. 

That did it, he was officially worried. She’d been acting strange lately and this was the final straw. First, she left him in the clutches of the handsy Amazon. Then she asked him to fight Kuno for her. Somehow she started to hang out with Taro. 

And now?

Now she was behaving perfectly normal after screaming at him just an hour ago. Not to mention that she hadn’t even hit him. Come to think about it, she hadn’t hit him in days!

No something was seriously wrong. 

Maybe when she rehydrated something went haywire. Whatever it was, he’d get to the bottom of it. 

He’d make sure she was okay. It was his job to protect her and he wouldn’t fail her again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After dinner, Akane went to her room to do some homework. She had to not only complete her current assignments but also the ones she had missed while she was in China. Thankfully, her teachers had been rather understanding about her absence and gave her some leeway on when they could be handed in. 

She had just finished an essay for her history class and was putting her books away when she heard a knock on the door. Not bothering to look up she said, “Come in.” 

When she heard the door open but no one respond, she looked over and saw a pigtailed figure leaning on doorframe. She looked at him expectantly but he remained still and quiet. He was looking at her and searching for something but what, she didn’t know. 

“Ranma? Did you need something?”

The sound of her voice seemed to shake him from his contemplation.

“Yeah, I just…well...are you feeling ok, ‘kane?”

“I feel fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure.” She quirked her head to the side and asked, “Why? What’s going on?”

“I dunno. You just seem different lately. I…just wanna make sure that…well, nothing’s wrong. Ya know, after…”

The pair had avoided speaking about China and it took her a moment to understand the origin of his concern. When realization hit, her eyes softened.

“Ranma, I’m fine. Really. There were no lasting effects. Don’t worry.”

“But then why…what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s not true. Please, don’t lie to me.”

What should she tell him? How much _could_ she tell him? 

Tell him too much and she could push him away. He wasn’t ready to have _that_ conversation and telling him that she was trying to change, to better herself for their future would definitely lead to _that_ conversation. Tell him too little and he’d know she was keeping something from him. 

Choosing her words carefully, she said, “I had a lot of time to...think recently. And, I guess it was time to make some changes. That’s all.” She shrugged.

“That’s all?”

“Yup.”

“So all this…being…” Ranma cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, “You know, ummm calm and the,” he gestured in her direction, “way you…umm look. It’s all stuff you want to do? It's all part of this plan?”

“Yes.” To lighten the mood, she smiled and added, “No magic mushrooms. No remote shiatsu techniques. No doll possessions. I promise.”

Ranma was skeptical but understood her desire to make a change. Hadn’t he had the same thoughts the other night? The difference seemed to be she knew what to do while he was still trying to figure it out. 

Until he knew what he wanted for himself, he thought it best not to dig too deeply, much as he wanted to. So, he’d accept her answer for now but would still keep an eye her just to be safe.

“I was just about to start our math homework. You wanna join me?” When Ranma made a face, she pouted. “Well, how about we make a deal? If we both get our homework done, I’ll treat you to ice-cream after school tomorrow.”

Ranma’s face lit up at the thought of getting treated to a sundae without having to flirt with some pervert first. Plus getting to spend an afternoon with his tomboy? He was all ready to say yes when he remembered what started their fight in the first place. His face fell and his eyes narrowed as he sneered, “Won’t that put a crimp in your date tomorrow?”

  
To his indignation, Akane laughed. 

“Are you still hung up on that? Come on, you can’t really think I have a date with Taro tomorrow, do you?”

_Yes,_ he thought. Unwilling to appear even more foolish he simply said, “Fine then. Explain.”

Seeing that he was starting to get tense, she quickly told him about the Panty Treaty and Taro’s involvement. 

“ARE YOU INSANE? You CAN’T just give him your panties!”

Arms crossed, eyebrow raised, Akane said warningly, “I _can’t?_ ”

Realizing he was treading on thin ice, he replied, “You know what I mean! You don’t really want him to get his hands on you 'pretties' do you?”

Akane sighed. She was glad he backed down from his statement because she was not in the mood for another argument. 

“No, of course not. But I’m tired of having to bathe in a swim suit. Tired of having to set up traps outside the locker room windows and placing guards by the doors just so I can change for gym. You know he'll end up stealing my underwear anyways. This way everyone gets something they want. It's not perfect but in my opinion, some peace and quiet is worth one pair of underwear.” When he only continued to glare at her, she threw up her arms and added, “If you have a better idea, I’d be happy to hear it!”

“I could just keep beating him up!”

“If you haven’t noticed, that’s not working,” she ground out. Taking a deep breath, she added, “Can we just try this, please? Even if he changes his mind and goes back on his word next month or even next week, we would have had all that time without being disturbed. He's gone right now because of the agreement and you can't tell me you aren't enjoying it.”

Ranma absolutely hated the idea of giving into the old fart. But he knew she was right. Their fathers had yet to come up with a way to handle their delinquent master. Ranma had at least challenged the pervert but that did nothing to either curb or change his actions. Akane really had come up with the best idea so far and he owed it to her to give it a try.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

She gave him a beaming smile, causing him to stare dumbly back at her. That smile alone, would have made him agree to anything she asked. Clapping her hands together, and unknowingly batting her eyes at him, she asked, “So, how about that math homework?” 

Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting beside her with her math book open in front of them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He wouldn’t admit it but Ranma actually liked doing homework when it was with Akane. She was always patient with him when he didn’t understand something and would come up with unique ways of explaining things to him. Best of all, she would smile at him encouragingly when he did well. 

He tried to stretch out the time they had alone out as much as possible. He’d miss a problem on purpose because when she double checked his work, she would always lean over to his side of the desk and he would get a tantalizing waft of her shampoo. She used the strawberry one tonight, which was his favorite.

Plus, she had this habit of biting on her bottom lip when she was concentrating. It was an odd mix of adorable and well...sexy, that only she could pull off. 

Studying was one of the few activities they could do together where their parents left them completely alone. They could spend several hours in her room - with the door closed - and be uninterrupted the entire time. He thanked his mother for the lack of intrusion; she had told him in no uncertain terms, that she didn’t think it was manly for her son to be a high school dropout and that he needed to get his education. She then barred their fathers from annoying them while they studied. It was the one of the few times that her unconventional thoughts about masculine behavior worked in his favor.

He couldn't let his parents know he liked the time he had alone with the fiery girl, so he would always make a fuss when she asked.

He felt a little bad for intruding on the time she could’ve spent on her other homework, but he had so few chances to be alone with her that he gladly ignored the guilt.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane knew that homework was not on Ranma's list of priorities, so she was glad that he agreed to study with her so easily tonight, if not a little surprised. She usually had to drag him into her room all the while listening to him complain that he would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else.

She on the other hand loved doing homework with Ranma. He was always much kinder when they were alone and she was happy to be able to let her hair down around him, so to speak. 

They ended up doing a lot of talking about non-homework related topics during their breaks and Akane made sure they took plenty of them. She always blamed his lack of attention skills as the cause but she insisted on way more than necessary. He was always happy to go along since some breaks included snacks (always made by Kasumi or his mother).

Homework was also the time she could see beyond the dumb jock exterior he showed to everyone else. It still amazed her how a boy who was raised on the road by a careless father, managed to do as well as he did in school. Sure, he was at the bottom of the class but that had more to do with lack of effort than lack of understanding. 

He was great at math, easily picking up equations. Ranma's face always showed exactly what he was thinking and she could see when something clicked into place. Like with his martial arts, he never gave up when he got the wrong answer, trying again and again.

Plus, she got to secretly watch him while he worked. It was so cute the way he would absently scratch his head when he was thinking. And she tried not to stare when he got up to stretch, but he was always wearing a ribbed cotton tank top that showed off his amazingly toned body. 

Oh yeah, Akane definitely liked studying Ranma, err...with Ranma.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was Ranma’s favorite time of school: lunch. He was sitting with his buddies, Hiroshi and Daisuke, at a table finishing off his bento and listening to them talk about…something. He didn’t pay much attention unless it had to do with a certain blue-haired martial artist and they knew it. 

Things were looking up for Ranma and he was in an exceptionally good mood. He had predicted correctly and the remaining dumb asses had backed off this morning which only left Kuno, who was dealt with quickly.

Plus he was looking forward to his afternoon treat. The sundae, not Akane. 

Although...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was dreading what she had to do. After having convinced almost all the girls in her class to provide one piece of apparel for Happosai, she had one last hurdle to jump. Unfortunately for her, the hurdle was named Ukyo Kuonji.

Since the wedding, she had been able to ignore the okonomiyaki chef and would have been happy to continue doing so but Happosai was firm in saying EVERY girl in school. 

Akane could have had donated another pair herself, she was sure Happosai wouldn’t find out, but she didn’t like the idea welching on a bet, even in a minor way. She had given Happosai her word and she was going to do her best to keep it. 

She didn't hate Ukyo for her part in the wedding catastrophe but she was frustrated with her. Akane had tried, really tried, to be her friend. But every time she offered Ukyo friendship, she used it against Akane. And this time, Ukyo helped destroy the only thing in the world she really cherished, her family dojo. Akane had spent so much of her youth in that dojo and looked forward to teaching there one day and they had demolished it!

Yes, she was still very annoyed with the okonomiyaki chef.

She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to deal with her rival. Luckily, she wouldn’t have to do it alone. 

Sayuri, Yuka, and Akane approached Ukyo as she sold her signature dish from the portable grill she had set up under a tree. 

Looking up, Ukyo’s smile tightened when she saw who her new customers were. It was obvious that Akane had been avoiding her since the wedding and that didn't bother her. No, what bothered her was that Ranma had also been avoiding her, too. He hadn't once come to ask her for free food or to say hi. He had even turned and headed the other way when he caught sight of her yesterday. 

It really pissed her off. He was HER fiancé. He was supposed to marry HER; the cute one. His childhood friend. Not the one he insulted all the time. Not the one he objected so vehemently to. SHE would be his bride and they would be happy running her restaurant together.

She had heard the rumors flying around school and knew exactly why the other girls were here. And she knew exactly what she wanted in return.

“What can I get you ladies?”

“We’ll have three pork okonomiyakis please.”

The trio watched as the chef started to prepare her batter. “We do have something to talk to you about,” Akane added hesitantly.

“What would that be, Tendo?”

Akane suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was her property that was destroyed but she was the one being given the cold shoulder? It shouldn't have surprised her. 

“Well, _Ukyo,_ I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we have found a way to stop Grandfather Happosai from raiding the locker rooms. But we will need your help.”

By the time the okonomiyakis were done cooking, Akane had finished her explanation. 

“Hell no.”

“What?” “Why not?” “You’re not even going to think about it?” came the simultaneous responses.

“There is no way in hell I’m giving that old pervert a pair of my panties.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be panties,” Yuka pleaded, “it could be a bra.”

Ukyo snorted, “I wear bindings and I don’t think he’d accept those.”

“He’d be ok with gym shorts or bathing suits too,” Sayuri added, opting to leave out the lingerie option, not knowing what the cross-dresser preferred to wear to bed.

“Look, it’s just not going to happen. There is no way I’m caving into that pervert.”

“But you have to! Please! It’s an all or nothing deal!” Ukyo seemed to be unmoved by their plight and Sayuri narrowed her eyes, “If you don’t do this, we’ll…we’ll get everyone to boycott your restaurant!”

When Ukyo glared and her hand tightened on the spatula in her hand, Akane decided it was time to step in. It was never a good idea to threaten a martial artist in any way. 

Gesturing in a calming manner, she said, “I’m sure we can come to some sort of understanding. Ukyo, is there anything you need done around the store? I'll help where I can and don't forget Taro also owes you a favor if you want one.”

“I don’t want anything from Taro.”

“Okay, is there anything you do want?”

“Yes. I want…” All three girls looked at her expectantly, “a date with Ranma.”

“What?!” Akane exclaimed, followed by “You can’t do that!” and “He’s Akane’s fiancé!” from Yuka and Sayuri, respectively.

“He’s my fiancé too!” Ukyo raged. 

Akane was seething. _I should have known she would want something like this. How dare she?_ She was just about to scream when she thought, _She’s right. She_ is _his fiancée. And didn’t I just decide to let him spend time with the other girls if he wanted to? So why should I get mad at Ukyo’s request? She has every right to go on a date with him. And I need to let her._ Closing her eyes, Akane took some deep breaths. 

As calmly as she could she said, “You’re right…”

“No way!” “You’ve got to be crazy!”

Akane had to smile. Her best friends’ indignation on her behalf was touching. But it wouldn’t get them anywhere. Giving them a let-me-handle-this look, she went on, “You’re right. But I don’t know what you want me to do about it. This deal has nothing to do with Ranma. If you want a date with him, then you should talk to him about it.”

Ukyo narrowed her eyes, “I’ve tried but…he’s been busy…and I haven’t had a chance.” The chef looked at the ground, and added, “But if you ask him, he’ll listen to you.”

To her surprise, the other girl snorted. “You can’t be serious? Since when has Ranma listened to anything I had to say, much less done anything I ask?”

Ukyo was red in the face. Having to ask her rival for help to date her own fiancé was beyond humiliating but she didn’t have many options. “A date with Ranma. Take it or leave it.”

Feeling a mixture of desperation and exasperation, Akane gritted her teeth. “I can ask him for you but I can’t force him do anything. That's the best I can do."

Ukyo gave the matter some thought. “You could always trick him or blackmail him into it.”

"No! I refuse to manipulate him like that. I will talk to him but it's Ranma's choice what he does. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine, we have a deal. But you better not go back on your word."

Choosing to ignore the last comment, she replied, “Grandfather will be here after school on Monday, so we will need you to meet us in the gym then.” With that, Akane stomped away, okonomiyaki forgotten and appetite ruined. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane’s bad mood lasted the rest of the afternoon. She hated having to get Ranma involved in this. The feelings of guilt and frustration put her in a vicious cycle and she knew it was pointless to overthink things but she couldn’t help herself. 

Yes, he had finally agreed to go along with her plan and not oppose her - or do anything to undermine her - but he hadn’t offered to help her at all. She had no idea what he could have done to help but it would have been nice of him to ask. Was it too much to want Ranma to want to help out of his own free will and not be pushed into helping her, especially in this way? She knew it didn’t matter; she had promised to ask him and she would.

It was then that it dawned on her; the real crux of her issues. It wasn’t about Ranma helping her with her plan. It was his feelings about her. She didn’t want Ranma to feel obligated to her. She wanted Ranma to want to be there for her because he wanted to be. Not because he felt responsible for her because of their parents’ agreement. Or because it was one of his enemies who had threatened her, like Saffron. But because he truly wanted to be there for her. To help her. To care for her.

After almost two years, she still didn’t know what she meant to him. And it hurt more than she realized.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane, Yuka and Sayuri left through the entrance door of the school, planning to head to the bridge to meet up with Taro, but were surprised to see him leaning against the front gates. Her friends had, of course, heard of him due to the initial kidnapping fiasco, but had never officially met him.

As soon as introductions were made, Sayuri stepped back and brazenly eyed Taro from top to bottom, circled him once and after taking some time looking at his face, simply declared, “He’ll do.”

Akane and Yuka suppressed their giggles, while Taro simply crossed his arms, saying dryly, “Stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

Akane snorted before she could stop herself. Clearing her throat, she said, “Taro, can I have a quick word?” After stepping away from the other two girls, she whispered, “I know it’s supposed to be a date and you are going to need to make it look real but no perverted stuff. Touch her in any way that she doesn’t like and you’ll have to deal with me. Got it?”

“Come on, you can’t think I would do anything like that.”

“So kidnapping is okay but you’re above groping? I’m gonna have to write this down.”

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Not likely.” She smirked.

As soon as the pair left for the date, Ranma appeared suddenly at her side. 

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“…”

As the couple gazed at each other, a blush formed on Akane’s face. She had always known Ranma was exceedingly attractive. But it always affected her the most when he popped out of nowhere and she couldn’t prepare herself prior to his appearance. Despite her best intentions, she always became a little warm and pleasantly fuzzy when looking at him; his bangs framing his face, his blue eyes aimed at her full of an emotion she couldn’t identify, and his lips set in that trademark cocky smirk, which she secretly loved.

Ranma had seen the three girls leave class and followed them at a distance. He had stayed behind a tree on the grounds as he watched the trio approach Taro. He couldn’t hear what was being said but he could clearly see what was happening. He laughed at Sayuri’s appraisal of Taro but that died quickly when he saw Akane and Taro taking a side bar. His eyes narrowed at the sight. He didn’t like the way the two talked to each other and how comfortable they seemed around each other. He waited until Taro and Sayuri left before going to Akane’s side.

He loved being able to sneak up on her. It was a sign of his superiority in martial arts that he could fly under her well-honed instincts. And when he did surprise her, her cheeks would flush into an attractive hue that no makeup could reproduce. Her eyes would widen, a spark shining through, making him want to spend the rest of his life staring into those chocolate pools. 

Their gazing at each other was interrupted by the sound of a polite cough. Both looked over to see Yuka grinning at them.

“So, I’m going now.” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “You kids have fun alright?” She winked at Akane before heading off. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Ranma asked, “We still goin’ for ice-cream?”

“Of course!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The teenaged waiter hated having to work after school, he’d much rather be hanging out with his friends. But on occasions like this, he didn’t mind so much. Two girls had just walked into the ice-cream parlor and were seated in a booth by the large picture window, in his section. They were two of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen.

Both were rather petite but outrageously curvy. The raven-haired girl - or was that blue hair? - was dressed in her school uniform. It was obvious that she had a nice pair of breasts and a tiny waist and he had could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like. Shockingly, the most attractive thing about her was her face. She was laughing as she walked in and he swore she lit up the room.

The redheaded girl was wearing Chinese style black pants and a white sleeveless top that showed off her figure fairly well. He was surprised that she seemed even more buxom and curvy than her friend. She carried herself a little differently too, strutting around almost like a boy would. 

Ryu did his best to mess his hair up, trying for a bad boy look that was completely ruined by the uniform and apron he was forced to wear. He approached the comely girls with a cool stand-offish demeanor, intending to ingratiate himself to the attractive raven-haired girl. His intentions, as well as his demeanor were quickly lost when the stunning redhead turned her blue eyes on him and batted her eyelashes. 

Before he knew it, he had gotten both girls banana splits, even though they had only ordered a scoop of ice-cream each. He had then scurried back and forth getting them tea, water, extra sprinkles, and whipped cream. He ended up giving them everything free of charge when the redhead vaguely promised to come back to the shop soon. 

He was still in a daze as they left the restaurant and he face palmed when realized he hadn't even gotten her name.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“See ‘kane? I told ya we weren’t gonna have to pay,” Ranma said smugly.

He had every intention of spending their time at the ice-cream shop just chatting with his fiancée instead of flirting with the waiter. But when the imbecile came over and started making goo-goo eyes at her, he knew he had to step in. Akane was frustratingly naïve when it came to boys and would have just thought he was being “nice” to her because it was his job. She never thought guys were hitting on her unless they were literally trying to hit on her. So did his best to distract the boy - who was annoyingly persistent – by sending him on meaningless errands for things they didn’t want. 

Akane was by now completely used to Ranma’s antics. She should have tried to get him to stop but it was too amusing to watch the spectacle that was Ranma when he was in full flirt mode. She had never seen _any_ real girl behave the way he did and it was like a traffic accident, she just couldn’t look away. She almost felt sorry for that poor waiter but after watching him practically drool over Ranma, her sympathy waned. Then, watching as he mainly made eye contact with Ranma’s breasts, any remaining sympathy for him flew out the window.

"Yes, that was very impressive, Ranma."

The pair was walking home and decided to go through the park. Akane had stopped when she saw the swings and, on impulse, ran over, squealing in delight. Ranma had followed at a more sedate pace, smiling at her enthusiasm. He was slightly confused when he reached the swings and Akane was sitting there motionless.

"Aren't you gonna swing?"

"Ranma, would you push me?"

"Push you? Don't you know how to do it by yourself?"

Akane giggled before saying, "Of course, silly. This way is just more fun."

When she saw him just stare at her confused, she pulled out the big guns; her eyes went wide and doe like, her lips forming the cutest pout he had ever seen. 

"Pwease, Wanma?" she asked playfully.

Ranma's lip twitched as he shook his head slightly. _What man in their right mind could say no to that?_ Without responding, he walked around her and reached down so that his hands were positioned next to her hips. 

He had held Akane in his arms on several occasions, had carried her on his back and she had even sat on his lap once. But somehow this simple act felt more intimate than all the others. It went against any martial artist instincts to allow someone at their back and the inherent trust she showed in him was humbling. 

With his new position, Ranma was eyelevel with Akane’s neck. How had he never noticed how slender and elegant her neck was? It was odd to think that a neck could be… sexy? Just then, she tilted her head to one side, almost invitingly. He felt himself grow hot as he had the sudden urge to place small gentle kisses at the base of her neck. 

He leaned forward automatically and at the last second turned his head towards her ear. Voice thick with desire, he whispered, "You ready?"

Perched on the rubber seat, Akane was pleased when her fiancé went along with her request. She had a wide smile on her face as she waited for him to start. She felt him as he came up behind her and placed his hands near her hips.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Somehow this didn't feel as innocent as when her father used to push her to and fro. A shiver went down her spine as Ranma’s cool breath blew across the nape of her neck as he leaned in and asked her if she was ready. Even in his female form, that simple act was oddly seductive. Closing her eyes at the sensual feeling, she gulped. 

"Y-yes."

They spent a quarter of an hour with him pushing her back and forth. Akane occasionally leaning back as far as possible laughing. After she'd had enough fun, they sat together on the swings. They seldom had the opportunity to just spend time together, enjoying each other’s company. The blue-haired girl didn’t want to ruin their fun and good mood but she knew that she had to ask him about Ukyo.

"Ranma?" she began hesitantly.

"Yeah 'kane?"

"So you know that agreement I have with Grandfather Happosai?" Ranma grunted noncommittally in response. "We had to get all the girls to agree. And they all did, except for Ukyo."

"Lemme guess, she said no, right? Just wanted to keep fighting the old bastard?"

"Right. So I had to try to talk her into it."

"So what does Taro have to do for her? Fly around town with her okonomiyaki shop sign for a few hours?"

"Err...no. She didn't want anything from Taro. She actually wanted a favor from me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She...she wants me to get her a date....with you."

Akane was looking at the ground and missed the way Ranma's jaw clenched. 

"Why didn't she just ask me herself?"

"She said that you’ve been too busy for her to ask you. Ha-have you been avoiding her?"

Ignoring her question, he went on stonily, "So you just said yes?"

Akane's head shot up, "No! Not exactly. I told her that I'd ask you for her but that it was your decision whether or not you go on the date."

"You want me to though, right? Go on a date with her?"

Akane's head dropped back down. She didn't know what to say. Of course she didn't want him to go on a date with his "cute" fiancée. The thought alone made her feel nauseous. But she did promise to talk to Ranma about it and if he said no, she had a feeling Ukyo would claim she didn't try and would back out of the swap on Monday. 

Taking Akane's silence as confirmation, Ranma fumed. He couldn't believe she _wanted_ him to go on a date with another girl. Akane would never have even suggested it before and now she was encouraging it? Did that mean she didn't care? That she'd given up? A dark part of him scoffed. 

_She can't give up if she never tried, can she?_

He hated to admit it but Akane never really fought for him. She got mad and jealous but had never gone to any lengths to prove to the other girls that he belonged to her. Sure she reacted when challenged but that was it. He went cold at the thought.

Akane was surprised when Ranma abruptly stood up.

"We should get back; they'll be waiting for us."

He walked off without looking back. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I hope you liked this chapter, it doesn’t have as much action as the last chapter, but it was needed to get the story moving. 

Thank you, **PepperonyOwl** and **alwaysZutarian** for the pre-read. 

Original Publication Date: June 5, 2014

Revised: May 8, 2015


	4. Arc I: The Plan, Chapter: The Exchange

It had been a couple of days since Akane and Ranma had their talk in the park. During that time, Ranma had remained frustratingly remote and Akane had no idea what to make of it. He seemed oddly upset, but she just didn't understand why. 

She was sure that he was unhappy that she suggested he go out on a date with Ukyo, but it seemed so out of character. After all, he had gone on plenty of dates with other people due to one scheme or another. He had gone on a date with Shampoo for the instant nannichuan before he found out that it was a one-use-only item. He went on dates with Kuno a few times. Off the top of her head, she could remember one instance where he tried to get Kuno to give him a wish from the wishing sword and another to convince Kuno he cared for him during the cheerleading competition. He'd been willing to go out with Tsubasa to try to get him over Ukyo. On her suggestion, he had gone out with Kodachi for that competition with the White Lily. And when she thought about it, she realized that he had also gone on a date with Ukyo while he was spying on her date with Ryoga. 

So why was this different? Was it because it was the scenario he didn't like? He definitely didn't like the idea of giving into Grandfather Happosai, but she thought he'd gotten over that already. 

Was he mad that she would offer him up in a bet? But that seemed ridiculous with the amount of times she was used as a bargaining chip and/or prize in one of his feuds. She definitely understood the frustration of being used as a possession, something someone could just win. But didn’t she make it clear that he had a choice? He didn't have to go if he didn't want to. 

She was more hurt than anything else because he was being so cold to her. She wanted to talk to him about what he was feeling, but every time she tried, he just blew her off. He barely looked at her in the last few days. Was he really so disgusted by her that he wouldn’t even make eye contact?

It was frustrating. If this is how he was treating Ukyo, she could kind of understand why the other girl was acting so desperate.

She looked at her clock and realized that she had no more time to contemplate the mystery that was her pig-tailed fiancé.

Today was her first cooking lesson with Aunty Saotome.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma was in the backyard, punching and kicking at a straw pad he had wrapped around the trunk of a tree. The movements came automatically - having been ingrained in him since he was a young boy - so he also used this time for thinking.

For the last two days he had been going over and over Akane's request. He still couldn't believe that she had really wanted him to consider going on a date with Ukyo. That it didn't bother her that he would be out with another girl. 

Akane - like most women - had always been a bit of mystery to him. He never knew how she was going to react to situations. But from the beginning of their engagement, he could always count on her jealousy when it involved other girls. And he loved it. It was a sign that she cared for him, even though she never admitted it. When did that change? 

Was this part of the plan she talked about? If so, he really didn't care for it.

Was it his fault? Did denying his feeling before the wedding cause her to feel that he didn't care? 

She knew better though, or at least she should have. He knew he was stupid when it came to how he treated her at times, but she had always forgiven him. She was always the bigger person and never nagged him about his stupid mistakes. Somehow she knew he didn't mean the stupid things he said or did. 

Thinking back on his original reaction, he realized he didn’t really _want_ her to act like the other girls. They were always violating his personal space, pushing themselves and their agendas on him. It was suffocating and did the opposite of what they wanted; it turned him off. Akane was the only one who understood that he wasn’t comfortable with physical affection. Although, when he thought about it, he knew he wouldn’t mind her pushing into his personal boundaries.

No, what he really wanted was for her to make a claim. She hadn’t once admitted to wanting to be with him. Even when she said she heard his proclamation at Jusendo, she never said how _she_ felt. She wanted his confirmation, but why couldn’t he get one? It was scary putting yourself on the line like that and not knowing how the other person will respond. Maybe if he _had_ admitted his feelings that day, she would have told him how she felt, too. 

After all, she did agree to marry him, right? But was that because she wanted to be with him? Or because she was finally giving into her father’s wishes?

He'd gone over and over the same thoughts for the last two days and he was still no closer to an answer. 

All he knew was that he missed her. 

He had spent the last two days giving her the cold shoulder. He recognized it as childish, but he couldn't help it. She had been trying to talk to him, but he had been fairly curt in his responses. He couldn't even look her in the face because looking into those big brown eyes would cause his resolve to crumble.

It was stupid really, since it probably hurt him more than her. He missed the sound of her voice and the way her eyes lit up when she laughed.

But mainly, he missed her company.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was headed towards the kitchen. Despite her current predicament with Ranma, she found herself in a very good mood. She was so glad that Aunty hadn't given up on her and was still willing to teach her how to cook after their last disastrous attempt.

As she walked, she imagined what she would be learning to make today. Tempura? Teriyaki? Ramen? Sushi? Or would they be baking today? Maybe cookies, brownies or even a chocolate cake!

Whatever it was, she was determined to do a good job.

Maybe, just maybe, if she made something that tasted good enough and she could get Ranma to try some, it would get them over their current problem.

"Hello, Aunty!" Akane greeted as she walked into the kitchen. She looked around and saw that the kitchen counter was filled with produce. 

"Hello, Akane dear."

Unable to contain her excitement or curiosity, she said, "So, what are we making today?"

Aunty gave her a rather large smile. "We'll get to that. First, have a seat; I've made us some tea." As the pair sat, Nodoka served them both. "You do remember what we agreed to, right?" When Akane nodded her agreement, the older woman continued, "I know that you are a very talented martial artist, so to help with your cooking, you will need to think about cooking in the same way you do martial arts training. I know that it's been a number of years since you were a beginner, but can you tell me what you learned first?"

Akane's response was quick, "We learned the basics: how to breathe properly, how to kick and punch properly, and the different stances."

"Yes. Those were fundamental to the rest of your training, correct?"

"Yes, any advanced forms we learned were built from these basics."

"Wonderful. Today, we will work on your cooking basics."

At first, Akane was frustrated. Aunty had insisted that she spend the first part of her lesson on identifying the different produce she had laid out on the counter and for her to learn how to tell they were ripe. Her frustration quickly turned to embarrassment. She really didn't recognize some of these vegetables uncooked, much less being able to identify how to tell if they were ripe. However, Aunty was patient in identifying the different items and how to choose the right ones at the market.

She then taught Akane how to wash each item. She had no idea that there were specific ways to wash all the different produce. She didn't know that strawberries were not to be put in water and should instead be cleaned with a clean wet cloth to get the dirt off. She also didn't know that grapes should always be left on the vine to help keep their freshness.

After washing the different food, Akane was instructed on how to cut each item. At first she was very excited, thinking that this was finally something she could do right! But she was chagrined to realize that she had no idea what she was doing. She could use a bokken with ease, so why was a paring knife so difficult? 

After mangling a couple of tomatoes, Aunty told her that her form was wrong and that she was using too much force. In other words, she was squeezing the tomatoes too tightly then hacking at them, instead of holding the tomato gently and using a sawing motion to keep from ruining the fruit. Aunty had also tried to teach her the importance of uniformity in being able to cut the produce into similar sizes, which would help in the cooking process. 

By the end of her first lesson, Akane had put together a fruit platter and vegetable platter, along with having cut all the vegetables that would be used in tonight’s dinner. She had to admit that her platters were not as pretty as something that would have been created by Kasumi - the individual pieces were uneven in size and shape and some had more peel on them than others - but overall she was rather pleased with herself. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma Saotome was starving! It wasn't an unusual predicament since he was still a growing boy and much more active than an average person. So it was unsurprising that he was the first person to be seated for dinner. He was practically drooling at the scents coming out of the kitchen. He was a little concerned when everyone else had gotten to the table and his fiancée was missing. His concern turned to dread when he saw her coming out of the kitchen with his mother, carrying food, looking excited and happy. That was never a good sign and his stomach grumbled. 

"Ma, you didn't let her cook anything did you?"

The question came out before he could stop himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Soun and Genma's heads snap up as fear came over them. As he looked up, he saw Akane's face fall. He closed his eyes; partially to shield himself from the look on her face and partially because he was ashamed of himself. 

"Actually, Ranma, Akane has prepared a lovely vegetable and fruit tray for tonight."

He did not miss the admonishing tone in his mother’s voice. Opening his eyes, he saw the platter in question and silently thanked the heavens. He couldn't get food poisoning from raw vegetables. Looking to his side, he realized that his fiancée had already seated herself next to him and was sitting rather stiffly. 

His heart hurt a little just looking at her. Why did he have to be such a jerk sometimes?

He was distracted when his mother handed him a bowl of rice and soon everyone had started their dinner. His mother had put an end to the Saotome food fights while they were living in their old home and she had placed herself in between the two men in her life to ensure that they - mainly Genma - would obey her wishes. Nodoka had also insisted that they would both try to show some manners while eating, which slowed their pace and left the rest of the household grateful. 

"Mom, this teriyaki is great!"

"Thank you, son. How is the miso soup?

"Goob...." Swallowing, he said, "I mean, good. Can I have some more rice?"

Nodoka smiled as she reached for his bowl.

"Is the rice ok?"

"It's great as usual."

Eyeing his bowl, he missed the grin spread on his mother's face and the corners of Akane's mouth tilt upward as she ate her food.

"That's good to hear. You can thank Akane; she made it."

Both Genma and Soun choked on their food, while Kasumi smiled at her youngest sister and Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her bowl. 

After her lesson, Akane had watched as Nodoka cooked the rest of the meal, asking questions about the process and listening as Ranma’s mother explained how to tell when food items were done cooking and what order to add ingredients in. She had no idea that all the items had different cooking times, so it wasn’t a good idea to dump everything in at the same time.

She had hesitantly asked if she could make the rice and after a moment's pause, Nodoka had agreed. She had then walked the younger girl through measuring the appropriate amount of rice and the proper way to rinse it. Akane was a little too eager and had lost at least a quarter cup down the sink before she slowed her motions. Afterwards, the Saotome matriarch showed her how to add the appropriate amount of clean water and watched as she put the pot into the rice cooker and plugged the machine in. She had smiled at the look of pride on Akane’s face. Giving the excited girl an indulgent smile, she reminded her to make sure the switch on the rice cooker was in the cook position and not the warm position.

Ranma reached slowly for his bowl, now wishing he hadn't asked for a second helping. But he had already eaten one helping and if it was gonna make him sick, a second bowl wouldn't make much difference. Besides, the rice had tasted fine.

"Err....thanks, 'kane."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The walk to school Monday morning began quietly. Akane had wanted to try to talk to Ranma again, but was too distracted by her own thoughts. Today was the day that the trade would take place. There were so many variables and too many things that could go wrong. This was Nerima and nothing ever went as planned. She was jostled from her pondering when Ranma asked her a question.

“Hmm? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

“I said, do you need any help later?”

“Really?” Akane’s face lit up in joy at the thought, “You want to help me?”

It was then, looking at the enthusiasm and gratitude she displayed at his simple offer, did he realize how idiotic he had been. Even if he didn’t get answers to all his doubts, one thing was clear; Akane wanted him around. For what and how long, he didn’t know. But for now, that was okay. He could build on this.

“Of course, ‘kane. I’ll always be there for you.”

Ranma watched as a blush slowly crept over Akane’s face as she processed his words. 

Yeah, he could definitely build on this.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taro felt as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night but was trying to maintain his cool exterior. After a lifetime of having to introduce himself as Pantyhose Taro, he would finally be rid of the ridicule associated with the name. All he had to do was get through the afternoon.

He was currently standing guard at the gymnasium doors with Ranma. Akane had told him, in no uncertain terms, that only girls were allowed through these doors and that they were to bar anyone else from coming in. He thought the assignment was stupid. Why would anyone else try to get in?

A little while later, Taro understood. 

He had no idea what to think when a herd of boys came running up to their position and demanded entrance. They all started shouting nonsense. When he was finally able to decipher some phrases, he started to understand.

“It’s not fair that you get to see their panties and we don’t!”

“Come on, Ranma, first Akane and now the rest of the girls too?”

“You gotta share, man! Just let us look!”

“Let us in, man! Let us in!

“SHUT IT! You guys aren’t comin' in and that’s final!” Ranma finally yelled.

His statement had caused the boys’ collective volume to go from a loud roar to a low murmur. Ranma’s presence alone seemed to keep them in line but they didn’t look like they would willingly leave. 

They all but ignored Taro until a boy standing to his left said to his friend, “I really want to find out if Akane wears thongs or not. I never got a good look up her skirt when she kicked me in the face!”

That did it. Taro wasn’t going to let anyone get away with being so disrespectful to Akane when he was around. Grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt, Taro punched him in the face and threw him over the school’s boundary wall. 

All conversation ceased as every eye turned to Taro. The school boys were quiet as they tried to figure out who the stranger was and he saw several people around him take a step back. 

Ranma - having heard the offensive comment - gave Taro both a nod and the evil eye, which he ignored. 

After that, it was easy to get the group of males to turn around and go home. If they all ganged up together, they could possibly, _maybe_ take one angry martial artist on a good day, but definitely not two.

After the males left, the girls came forward, having watched the entire fiasco play out so far. Akane had explained that some of the girls were unconvinced this would work and needed to see for themselves that the old pervert would actually do what he said. Others just wanted to see what the trade would be like, so they could be prepared when it was their turn.

Taro was surprised to see what looked like the entire female population of the high school waiting to enter. They moved in small groups and slowly entered the building. It was obvious they were much more dignified than their male counterparts. 

It shocked Taro when Ranma suddenly grabbed a homely looking girl who was walking in slightly behind her friends. Looking over, he thought homely was a very generous description for the girl. She was rail thin and very pale, her cheeks were sunken in, she had huge bags under her eyes and her hair was short, stiff, and waxy looking. 

Ranma lifted her up by her arms and shook her a little. Concerned, Taro was going to step in to protect the girl but was stopped when he heard her speak. 

"Help! Help! Get this brute off me!" The girl said in a high-falsetto and tried to wiggle out of Ranma's grasp.

"Gosunkugi! Dressin’ like a girl didn't work the first two times, why’d ya think it was gonna work now?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just an innocent young maiden," she continued in her squeaky voice.

Putting her on her feet, Ranma rolled his eyes and snatched the wig of her...his head.

"Whatcha doin here?"

"Nothing!" He continued in the squeaky voice before clearing his throat. "Nothing, I swear!"

"Sure." Ranma reached into the boy's open handbag and pulled out a camera. "Then you won't be needing this." He proceeded to destroy the camera with his bare hands.

Gosunkugi stepped back and fell on his ass, then proceeded to crabwalk backwards using his hands and feet before getting up and running away. He looked back to make sure he wasn’t being chased and turned around just in time to run straight into a tree. He was stuck to the tree for a second, arms and legs splayed wide, before falling backwards on the ground, unconscious.

Ranma walked back to his original position and crossed his arms, looking bored.

Things progressed for a while until, once again, Ranma stopped a girl in line. However, this time he just held his arm out in front of the girl to halt her from entering.

Taro noticed that this one was quite attractive. She had on the standard school uniform, a blunt bob cut hairstyle with bangs, and a smirk on her face that showed absolutely no concern. She looked familiar but he was sure he had never seen the girl before; he would have remembered someone that confident. Not to mention pretty.

"Yes, Ranma?" She asked.

"Taro, search her bag."

Shrugging, Taro grabbed her bag and riffled through. It took him less than a minute to find a hidden compartment on the side of her bag which held a camera. Pulling it out, he raised an eyebrow at the girl.

Completely unabashed, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Can't blame a girl for trying."

She reached for her bag and camera but Taro pulled the latter away from her.

"You can get this back after."

Raising an eyebrow, she smirked as she ran her eyes slowly over his entire body. Making eye contact, she purred, “Definitely.”

Taro just gaped at her. He was flattered at her attention, but a little taken aback at her actions. No girl had ever treated him like a piece of meat before and he had to admit he was a little turned on.

Waiting until the girl had entered the building, Taro handed the camera to Ranma, trusting that he would return it to its rightful owner. Ranma slipped it into his pocket with a slight nod.

The crowd of girls had thinned when Taro spotted a lone boy dressed in a school uniform brazenly trying to walk in. Stepping up to the stranger, he said, "You're gonna have to leave."

Narrowing his eyes, the boy pushed by Taro without a response. Annoyed, he responded by grabbing the other boy’s upper arm but then suddenly the boy reached behind him and pulled out...a spatula?

What the fuck?

"Taro, she's fine. Let her by."

"She?"

Ranma just nodded while the girl shot Taro a nasty look before putting back her... weapon?

Turning around, she walked over to the gender-bender.

"Hey, Ranchan!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey."

Her smile dropped as she asked, "So you talked to Tendo?"

"Ya, I talked to _Akane_."

This obviously wasn't the response she wanted. Putting her hands on her hips, she stood akimbo before him and narrowed her eyes.

"Well?"

"You go through with this and I'll stop by Ucchan's tomorrow after school."

"Why didn't you just say so, Sugar?"

Giving him a big smile, she proceeded to enter the gym.

Taro shook his head, he shouldn’t be surprised that the cross-dresser was interested in the tranny. It was even logical, in some strange way. But damn this was a weird ass town. 

The two bouncers waited until the last of the girls had entered the gymnasium before they walked in and closed the doors behind them.

Taro could swear he was developing a tick.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane had gone into the gymnasium through the lockers right as school ended. Knowing that practically the entire school wanted to attend the ceremony - for a lack of a better term - she had pulled out half the bleachers. Taro and Ranma had already been given directions during lunch to keep every male, besides themselves, out of the building. After pulling out the bleachers, she situated a table and three chairs in front of them, and had instructed Yuka and Sayuri to gather all of the girls in their homeroom in the front row.

She was currently waiting in a nearby classroom with one very exuberant old man. She refused to let him into the gym while the girls were entering, not trusting him to be able to keep his hands to himself. She had worked too hard on this to let it fall apart because of Happosai’s lack of self-control.

Now she wished she had assigned either Taro or Ranma to babysit the grand-master. Surprisingly, he had kept his hands to himself while they were alone together, not having tried to grope her once. But he had asked her every five minutes when things were going to start. He was currently bouncing around the room, occasionally yelling, “Woo-hoo”. It was like watching a five year old on a sugar rush. 

For the occasion, he had donned a tan linen suit, white collared shirt, blue and white stripped bow-tie and topped it all off with a matching tan skimmer that had a blue and white ribbon accent. He kept alternating between twirling his hat on his finger and adjusting it on his head, after smoothing out what little hair he had left. 

Feeling her patience had reached its end, she finally heard a knock on the door. Yuka’s head popped through the door a second later to tell her that they were ready.

Walking in, she saw the bleachers completely filled with female students, all chatting amongst themselves as they waited. She looked over to see Happosai do a small jump, kicking his heels together in midair, before landing and following her forward. 

When they reached the table, Akane instructed Happosai to sit in the middle chair, reminding him that he was not allowed to grope or touch any of the girls in any way. She asked Ranma and Taro to sit in the chairs next to him to make sure he abided by the rules and stop him if he decided to get close and comfortable with any of the girls. The only caveat was that they had to turn the chairs around and face the opposite direction. She wanted to save the participants from any unnecessary embarrassment.  
  
She then walked over and assembled her classmates. She quickly explained that they each had to personally hand their items over to Happosai. There were a few murmurs of dissent but when she pointed out that there was no other way to guarantee that each girl had individually donated something, the murmurs quieted down although many still looked uncertain.  
  
Akane had planned to go first and Sayuri and Yuka had volunteered to be second and third, respectively. Walking towards Happosai, Akane was reaching into her bag when suddenly the doors burst open.  
  
"Akane Tendo, my sweet innocent flower! You shall not show your delicate feminine garments to anyone but me, much less give them away to some ancient perverted fiend! I will not allow it!"  
  
Kuno ran towards Akane, bokken held in front of him. He closed a quarter of the distance before a pair of feet smacked him in the face. Both Ranma and Taro had gotten out of the chairs and rushed towards Kuno, each landing a simultaneous kick. They both reached down and grabbed one of his armpits, dragging him out the door.  
  
Akane watched as each boy then grabbed an upper arm and leg. Swinging Kuno back and forth, once, twice, and on the third swing sent him flying through the air.  
  
She smiled. It was nice seeing the once enemies get along and working together.

  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Happosai sat at the table patiently as he watched his heir and the boy he helped birth handle the delusional wannabe samurai. He was glad it was done quickly since he was tired of waiting and wanted to see the new pretties that everyone had gotten him! Clapping his hands in glee, he started to kick his legs back and forth in excitement.  
  
To think, he had sweet little Akane to thank for everything! He knew she was one of the few that really appreciated him after all.  
  
Once Taro and Ranma had seated themselves next to him, she walked forward, reminding him of the rules. Did she think he was a child? Of course he remembered the rules!  
  
Not wanting to seem ungrateful, he gave her an encouraging smile and nodded his head eagerly. Anticipation built up as he watched Akane reach into her bag.  
  
Suddenly her movements seemed to slow as he saw her pull out something in an exquisite shade of pale pink! The lovely item seemed to move in slow motion as it revealed itself to him inch by tantalizing inch. Once it was completely out of the bag, it gleamed as if rays of light shone from its very core.  
  
As the light dimmed he got to take a good look at the item and marveled at its beauty. It was strapless with a very high cut leg openings and he thought he could see a cute little bow on the back.

It was a bathing suit!  
  
Suddenly time seemed to speed up as he reached for the item. Taking it gently from her hands he held it up to himself as he caressed the material to his face and took a sniff. 

It even smelled like her!  
  
"Oh sweet little Akane, you shouldn't have! It's so lovely!" he cried out as tears swam in his eyes.  
  
Forgetting himself, he made a move to thank her properly with a hug when he felt a pair of hands push him back down by the shoulders. Those young brats had stopped him from appropriately showing his thanks to the lovely creature before him!  
  
That was when he remembered he had to sit and was not allowed to show his appreciation. 

Sniffing, he said, "Thank you, Akane."  
  
She smiled at him - and what a lovely smile it was - before saying, "You're welcome,Grandfather."  
  
Instead of going to sit down, she walked to one end of the table to oversee the rest of the transactions.  
  
The next girl up seemed to be a little nervous but pulled out the most beautiful, black lace bra with thin pink ribbons woven through the tops of the cups and a small pink bow in the center.

It was a work of art.  
  
"Thank you. This is...I...thank you!"

Moved beyond words, Happosai was practically in tears with his gratitude. Not knowing what to do, he looked at her and hoped his gratitude showed in his eyes. It seemed to work because she smiled a little and patted him gently on the head. 

Oh little Akane had the most wonderful, beautiful, most gracious friends!  
  
They had slowly made their way through the group of girls before him. As they handed over their lovely items, he would examine each, while marveling at their loveliness. Then he tried to express his gratefulness to the girl before he lovingly folded each item into the burglar's sack - it seemed too strange to carry them in anything else - as the girls went back to sit in the stands with the rest of their classmates.  
  
They reached the half-way mark when Akane made a motion to stop the next girl from moving towards him. Bewildered, he turned his head towards her.  
  
"Grandfather, it's now time to fulfill the rest of the bargain."  
  
Oh. Pantyhose. He’d forgotten.

Happosai took a moment to think over his situation. He could easily take the new items he acquired and dash out of the gym without honoring his part of the bargain. He would get a stash of new pretties for nothing! However, he had really enjoyed himself this afternoon. Sure, he missed the thrill of sneaking peeks at girls while they were changing and the adrenaline he got from being chased by a group of angry women. But this made for a nice change of pace. Never before had he been in a room with so many lovely young ladies and have them be so nice to him! None of them were trying to beat him up or throwing things at him. He never understood why so few women appreciated it when he tried to compliment them. Besides, if he ever felt the urge to have a panty raid, there was still the all-girl's school nearby that he'd been meaning to visit.  
  
Turning to the boy in question he asked, "Are you sure you want to change your name? Why Panty..."  
  
"Yes! I'm sure," he interrupted the old grand master.  
  
"Fine, then your new name shall be Garter Belt!"  
  
"No!" "Grandfather!" Taro and Akane shouted at the same time.  
  
"You know what we agreed to," Akane added, giving him a stern look.  
  
"Fine, fine. But are you quite sure you wouldn't like the name Bloomers?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," Taro ground out. He was holding onto his patience by a thin thread.  
  
Happosai looked the poor boy over, shaking his head. What was wrong with him? He should be enjoying his youth but instead he was high strung and stressed out. A vein was throbbing on his forehead, and was that a tick developing in his right eye?

  
Sighing, he said, "Very well, very well. Your new name shall be Awesome Taro.”

The old man stared at the teenage boy questioningly. _Why was the moron just gaping like that? Wasn’t this what he wanted?_

Then suddenly Taro ran up to a random girl and asked, “What’s my name?”

She giggled and said, “Umm...Awesome?”

“That’s right, my name is Awesome!”

He jumped in the air with his arms straight out, forming a Y. Once he landed, he ran towards Akane, grabbing her by the shoulder, which in turn caused Ranma to rise from his chair, eyes narrowed. 

_Ho, ho, this can prove to be rather amusing._

“Thank you, thank you!” Taro pulled Akane into a big hug, pinning her arms to her side, rocking her left and right. He pulled back and said, “This never would have happened if it weren’t for you!” He leaned in and gave her a rather enthusiastic kiss on the cheek before letting her go and screaming “THANK YOU!” He ran out the doors, leaving a red faced Akane staring after him.

Happosai chuckled at the poor girl’s shock. _A pretty girl like her should be used to that sort of attention by now. If her fiancé treated her better, she’d be._

“Get offa me! Get off I said!”

Sighing, he looked down at the struggling youth under him.

When Taro had pulled Akane into a hug, Ranma started forward but found his movements stopped by Happosai’s index finger. Happosai then jumped behind him, pulling his arm backwards and forced Ranma on the floor. 

Despite what he thought about the boy’s lack of respect, Happosai was glad that Ranma would inherit the Anything Goes School that he founded. His first two disciples had been disappointing to say the least, even though they both were decent martial artists. One was a push over who turned into an emotional mess after the death of his wife. The other was inherently lazy and turned into a glutton, willing to sell his son off for food. Happosai didn’t have many standards, but even he didn’t approve of offering up the heir to the school for food. 

Ranma though, was different. He had skill and spunk. He wouldn’t let anyone push him around and that was exactly what this school needed to persevere. 

And what Ranma needed was Akane. 

A girl that would challenge him so he wouldn’t turn into his father. A girl who had a natural talent for the arts herself, guaranteeing that he would sire a powerful heir. A girl who understood the perils of being a martial artist and the dedication it took to be a master.

But damn was that boy stupid. Happosai couldn’t blame the lad for enjoying the attentions of the other beautiful young ladies around him, but he needed to secure his relationship with Akane first. Then the boy could participate in all the extracurricular activities he wanted. 

So to ensure the future of the school, he would just have to help things along. At the moment it involved making Ranma jealous. The boy needed to know that if he didn't make a claim, others would be happy to take his place.

And if Happosai had a little fun in the process, then all the better.

“Ummm… Right… Why don’t we continue what we were doing,” Akane said, blush still staining her face.

“Of course, sweet little Akane!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Damn that old freak! Look at him, sitting there trying to act all innocent. Who the hell does he think he’s foolin’? No one!_

Ranma fumed and wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of him. And Taro.

_That stupid bastard, hugging and kissing my fiancée. My Akane. Who the hell does he think he is? What right does he have to lay a finger on her, much less use his lips! When I see…_

“Ranma?”

He looked up to see Akane bent over him and offering him her hand. He wanted to smack it away in frustration, but then he looked into her eyes. 

They were full of emotion. He could easily make out the concern in them, he was used to her looking at him like that, so it was easy to identify. They also seemed to be… apologetic? That was not a look she gave him often, but he thought he had deciphered it correctly.

There was a time when he didn’t understand his fiancée at all. The things she did and the way she acted were often contradictory and strange. It took him a long time, not to mention a lot of bruises, to finally be able to read her. And he was still only working at a first grade level.

Sighing, he took her hand and held it lightly, enjoying the warmth radiating from the skin as her delicate fingers clasped his. Unwilling to let go of her hand, he got up slowly and held on for a moment longer than necessary before going to sit in his original spot. 

Akane had walked over a moment later and claimed the empty chair, turning it around so she was faced the same direction as Happosai. He sat and desperately hoped this ordeal would be over soon. Yes, it was for a good cause, but he still didn’t like the idea of giving into the pervert and it still made him angry.

He had snuck a peek when it was Akane's turn to make a donation and he was disappointed to see her pull out that bathing suit. He had hated that thing for a long time as it was the only barrier between him and seeing Akane naked. _All_ of her naked.

But since then, that piece of clothing had starred in many of his fantasies. He often thought of how easy it would have been to pull the flimsy piece of cloth down until her breasts were free of their confinement, bouncing before him. Pert and inviting. How he could pull the suit down over her curvy, luscious hips before he slipped it off over her delicate feet before he guided her to sit on the edge of the furo. She would then slowly spread her legs for him and he could _finally_ look at the treasure at her core.

He sighed. Yup, he was really sad to see the swimsuit go.

While Ranma was uneasy with physical affection and awkward when forced into embarrassing situations with the girls in his life, he was still a healthy teenage boy with a very vivid imagination. His honor would not allow him to act on his baser impulses but his fantasies allowed him to indulge in those activities with only a little guilt. He never planned to have a certain blue-haired girl star in most of his day dreams, it just happened. A lot.

Now all he wanted to do was go home and try to scrub the image of Taro kissing and hugging _his_ fiancée out of his brain for good. Just the thought caused him clench in hands in anger. The next time he saw that asshole there was going to be hell to pay. 

Just then, he caught some of what Akane was saying.

"...so that makes the last person."

"No, I don't think so."

"That is everyone in our class, I promise you, Grandfather."

Suddenly Ranma was splashed over the head with cold water. Sputtering in indignation, he stood up and screamed, "Whaddya do that for?"

"It seems, Akane, that we have one more girl in the class that has not given me a personal item."

"What the hell? There is no way I'm giving you anything, you old freak!!!"

Happosai ignored Ranma and kept looking at Akane with a pout on his face, "You did promise me all the girls would participate."

Ranma moved forward, wanting to pound the old pervert into the ground, but was once again stopped by the feel of a soft hand on his chest. Looking down, he saw that Akane was standing close to him. Very close. 

He had no idea how she got within his personal space without him noticing. Martial artists were trained to be highly aware of their surroundings as a way to be prepared for attacks. Being the best martial artist around, it was logical that his keen senses were also the best. But somehow, Akane always managed to slip under his radar. 

Looking into her eyes, he saw that they had a mischievous sparkle in them and she mouthed, ‘ _Trust me._ ’He gave her a slight nod in affirmation, or it may have just been confusion, his brain was a little hazy after staring at her mouth.

She turned around and he regretted it as she moved her hand from his chest. She went to her bag and bent down to retrieve something, all the while giving him a glimpse of her bottom. He cursed those damn uniforms for obstructing what he was sure would have been a spectacular view.

Akane handed a cloth wrapped package over to Happosai, saying, "I had Kasumi get me a clean pair of Ranma's underwear this morning."

Eyes glistening, he greedily grabbed the package from Akane. Unwrapping it, he froze, standing still as stone as the material dropped from his hands. He crumbled and turned to dust on the floor. Ranma looked down to see that a pair of his boxers lay on the floor and chuckled to himself.

Bursting into tears, Happosai cried, "Akane! H-how c-can you be so c-cruel to me!" He sniffled, as he looked at her with big round eyes, twiddling his fingers together and toeing the floor with his foot.

Ranma rolled his eyes as he watched Akane squat down so she could speak to Happosai eye to eye. Speaking in a low gentle tone, like you would a crying child, she said, "If you don't want them, I'm sure that Ranma would be happy to take them back. Now, why don't you go home and you can organize all your new pretties?" She gave him a warm smile. 

Giving one last sniff, Happosai nodded eagerly and grabbing his sack, bounded off towards home.

Ranma went to pick up his underwear and shoved it back in the cloth it was previously wrapped in as Akane thanked everyone. The gymnasium slowly cleared as Ranma helped his fiancée clean up. 

As soon as everyone left, Akane grabbed her bag and pulled out a thermos, handing it to Ranma. 

Taking the thermos, he smiled at it. He was touched that she had packed this just for him. He shouldn't have been shocked though, she was always looking out for him, but after growing up the way he did, it always surprised him that anyone would show him kindness the way she did.

"Thanks, 'kane." Pouring the water over his head, he smiled warmly at her and said, "Let's go home."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** Thanks, **PepperonyOwl and alwaysZutarian** for being awesome beta readers!

For those of you who do not own the manga but would like a set, Viz is re-releasing the series in two-in-one books. Bonus: the books are now being printed in the original Japanese format.

Original Publication Date: June 17, 2014

Revised: May 11, 2015


	5. Arc II: Chain Reactions, Chapter: The Date

Ukyo had left school directly after lunch to prepare for her date that afternoon. Ranma had been avoiding her since the wedding – she sneered whenever she thought of the event – so she had to make the most of the afternoon. She needed to find some way to finally make him understand that they were meant to be together. If this went well, she was hopeful that she could parlay the afternoon date well into the evening and then hopefully into _more_. 

When she reached Ucchan’s she had sent Konatsu away, telling him that his help wasn’t needed for the evening. She got a little testy when he was insistent that she needed his assistance for the evening rush and refused to leave. But once she explained that she had a date for the evening and they would not be opening at all, he had left rather quickly. 

Which was perfect really, she was putting her best foot forward and needed time to prepare. She knew that Ranma thought she was the "cute" fiancée and she was going to make sure she looked the part. She had kept her long hair down and had brushed it until it shined. Her hair was the one truly feminine feature she kept over the years of pretending to be a boy. She smirked as she thought of _her_ short hair. Ranma always called Akane a tomboy and Ukyo had always thought that her short hair had a lot to do with the appraisal.

Having spent a majority of her life playing down her feminine features, it took a couple of attempts, but she successfully put on a light layer of make-up without looking like a clown. She had put an emphasis on her lips, applying a generous amount of lipgloss which would hopefully draw Ranma's attention and give him some ideas. For the occasion, she had put on one of the few dresses she owned, which she bought on a whim. The blue dress had a fitted square top with large buttons down the front, thin straps and a full skirt. She thought the dress emphasized her womanly curves wonderfully and smirked at how much of her breasts were on display. Which would set her apart from the flat-chested, built like a brick girl that Ranma so often complained about.   
  
Now that she was ready, all she had to do was wait for Ranma to come and take her out on their date. She just wondered what they would be doing today. Would he take her to a fancy restaurant? Or maybe he would have planned a picnic for them in the park? Maybe a trip to the movies so they could cuddle together in the dark? 

Regardless, he would most likely bring her some flowers. Roses were okay, but she adored tulips. But of course he knew that and she had brought out a vase in preparation.

Regardless of their plans, tonight would be perfect.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Ranma was walking on the fence, using it as a balancing exercise which he really didn't need. He had done it for so long, it was now habit and it also gave him a better view of the area around him, making it harder for people to sneak up on him.  
  
He was walking a lot slower than he usually did, delaying when he would reach Ucchan's _._ He was dreading his visit with Ukyo. He was still mad at her for all the dangerous stunts she had pulled lately and her manipulating Akane to ask him for a date had really pissed him off. However, he had not been driven to the point where he was willing to throw away their friendship, no matter how shaky their relationship was at this point. He knew he had to give himself time to get over his anger before trying to save their friendship, which was why he had been avoiding his childhood friend.   
  
A part of him also knew that he couldn't avoid Ukyo forever. He was a little afraid of what she would do if she got really desperate. But mainly, he was willing to go along with this because Akane had asked him to and he had to admit, there was very little she asked of him. 

He had to concede his home life was a lot less stressful now that he didn't have to worry about Happosai interrupting Akane or him while changing or in the bath. When his mother had moved into the Tendo home, he had begun to worry that the Grand Master would violate her privacy too. Happosai had yet to interrupt his mother during a bath but that didn't mean he wouldn't and Ranma wouldn't put it past the old pervert to try. So for now, he was just glad he could let his guard down, at least a little. 

School had been over for a while already and he couldn't continue to wander around aimlessly, putting off the inevitable. By now business at the restaurant should have picked up so that Ukyo would be too busy to pay him much attention. Realizing he wouldn't make it home for dinner if he didn't get to the restaurant soon, he took a deep breath and headed towards his destination.  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Strolling through the park was always a fun activity and since she had a rare afternoon to herself, she decided to take a leisurely walk. Though she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she thought she would have normally. Ranma had jumped out of the window after school without as much as a glance in her direction. It irked her more than it should have, since she was well aware of the fact that he had his own active life.  
  
She was excited to see Taro when she exited the building, hoping that she would get him to spar with her. But he had stopped by to run errands for the rest of the girls in the class and didn't have time for her. Today he would be helping move old patient files at Yuka's father's office.  
  
Akane was just rounding a bend when she saw a beautiful young woman dressed in a kimono sitting on a nearby bench. As she got closer, she realized the rather forlorn looking girl looked familiar.  
  
Walking forward, she smiled and said, "Good afternoon, Konatsu."  
  
Looking up in shock, Konatsu smiled though the kunoichi in him was slightly ashamed. He must have really been lost in thought if he allowed anyone to surprise him. 

"Good afternoon, Miss Akane!"  
  
Giving him an indulgent smile, Akane replied, "Konatsu, please, you don't have to be so formal." Nodding to the empty space, she asked, "May I join you?"  
  
"Of course, of course! I'm sorry, that was so rude of me. Please sit."

Konatsu inched over slightly to give Akane more space.  
  
"Are you ok? You seemed a little... sad when I walked up."  
  
Giving Akane a wide smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said, "Oh, I'm fine."  
  
Konatsu was definitely not feeling fine, but he didn't want to trouble Akane with his melancholy mood.  
  
Sensing his hesitancy to talk about his problems, she quickly changed the topic, "So what are you doing out here? You have the day off?"  
  
Konatsu looked down. "Umm no. Miss Ukyo has closed the restaurant for the day."  
  
"Really? That's unlike her, I hope she isn't sick."  
  
"No, no, she's fine." 

Konatsu knew that the truth would hurt Akane and he didn't want to lie to her. Knowing she would find out the truth eventually, he said quietly, "S-she has a d-date this afternoon."  
  
Konatsu watched as Akane's smile dropped a little as she processed the information.  
  
"Well...umm...good for..." Clearing her throat, Akane tried a different tactic, "So, what are your plans for the afternoon?"  
  
"Me? Umm... this. I was just going to hang out in the park for a while."  
  
"I've got a better idea, why don't we go get some ice-cream instead!"  
  
"Oh, that sounds wonderful, but I don't really have..."  
  
"My treat of course! Come on, it'll be fun." Akane gave him an encouraging smile.  
  
He nodded his head eagerly, the choice being easy to make as Konatsu would rather spend time with the girl in front of him than wallow in his own self-pity. Plus he would be able to indulge in such a decadent treat! 

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Ranma was confused as he knocked on the front door of Ucchan's; the restaurant looked as if it was closed for the day. He was surprised when Ukyo opened the door almost immediately.  
  
Giving Ranma a big smile, she exclaimed, "Ran-chan! There you are! Come on in, Sugar!"  
  
Ranma followed her into the restaurant. Normally, his senses were overwhelmed by the scent of okonomiyaki cooking, the sound of the griddle sizzling, and the sights of happy customers eating, and he fleetingly thought that the restaurant was a little eerie when it was empty. Grabbing a stool by the counter, he sat down, swiveling himself right and left.  
  
Ukyo had been waiting for at least an hour for Ranma to show up and when he finally did, he walked in without saying a word. No flowers, no candy, and it looked like he didn't even bother cleaning up before showing up for their date! He was wearing his standard clothing; a sleeveless Chinese style top and black pants.

Now he was just sitting there, acting like nothing was wrong! They had a date and she had been waiting! And he still hadn't said anything about her new dress. She longed for her spatula - a whack over the head was exactly what he deserved - and cursed the fact that she decided to leave her bandoleer in her room. She was frustrated to say the least.  
  
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The date could still be salvaged and she would just have to make the best of the situation. Putting on a bright smile, she asked, "So, where ya taking me, Sugar?"  
  
Cocking his head to the side, Ranma said, "Whatcha talkin' about? Why would I be taking you anywhere?"  
  
Ukyo could have smacked herself on the head, or better yet smacked him on the head. Her smile became tight as she said, "Well, we did have a date planned for today."

"Date? What date?"  
  
She growled, "The date you told me you were taking me on. You remember? After school yesterday..."

"Oh, that! Yeah, I just said I was stopping by, I didn't agree to any date."  
  
Clenching her hands in anger, she said, "That's ok. We can just stay here since we have the place to ourselves. And I know how much you love my cooking."  
  
Ranma only shrugged in response.  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
The trip to the ice cream shop was a little awkward as both people were feeling a little sad for themselves but were trying to put on a brave face for each other. They had never spent any time alone and Akane didn't realize how uncomfortable it would be without Ranma or even Ukyo as a buffer. Things stayed awkward as they looked over their menus.  
  
Akane wanted to giggle when she saw Konatsu's eyes widen when he perused the menu. She didn't know what was more shocking for the poor fellow, the pictures of the elaborate treats or the prices that went along with them.  
  
Asking Konatsu what he wanted, she was unsurprised and a bit disappointed when he requested a single scoop of mint chocolate chip ice-cream. She had tried to talk him into something more extravagant, but he waved the suggestion away. Not wanting to order something decadent (even though she really wanted it) when he was getting something so simple, she had resigned herself to a scoop of rainbow sherbet.  
  
Akane glanced up and her lips quirked as she recognizing the waiter walking towards them; it was the same boy who served her on her last trip to the restaurant with Ranma. He took their order before asking Akane about her "cute redheaded friend". Akane told him that she was busy this afternoon and wouldn't be joining them. He left to put in their order, looking rather dejected.  
  
Once the waiter was out of earshot, Akane relayed the story to Konatsu who seemed to become more comfortable as the story progressed and laughed at Ranma's antics. Konatsu had then started telling Akane a story about one of his sisters' unsuccessful attempt at trying to get some free pastries.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma watched as Ukyo turned on and prepped her grill, pulling out ingredients for okonomiyaki and an apron. Even though she was trying to be pleasant, he could sense the irritation rolling off her in waves. Usually he would try to do something to make her laugh or smile to break the tension, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Ukyo was glad she had the distraction of cooking to calm her down. She didn’t understand what was happening. This was supposed to be a funafternoon. They were supposed to hang out and bond. He was supposed to see that _she_ would be the perfect wife for him. But no. All he’d done since he came in was sit there. The silence felt deafening. She realized that if she wanted anything to happen today, she would have to make more of an effort. 

Looking up and sending him a warm smile, she said, “Isn’t this nice, Ranma? Just you and me. Alone together. It’s homey, huh?”

Ranma grunted noncommittally.

Choosing to be the bigger person, she ignored his lack of response as she continued, “You know, once we’re married, it’ll be like this all the time.” Checking her batter and falling into routine, she missed his eye roll. “We would work together here during the day, making the best okonomiyaki around before having a quiet dinner together when the day is over."

The smile that graced her face was now genuine as she allowed herself to be lost in the picture of the future she imagined for them. "It sounds perfect, doesn't it?" She continued to describe what she thought of as their idyllic life together. Lost in her own musings, she rambled on, missing the stony look that crept over his face. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane and Konatsu left the ice-cream parlor together, both in much better moods than when they entered. The awkwardness between them had disappeared as they bonded over their rather unusual lives. Enjoying their time together and neither wanting it to end, they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon together at the park. 

They were still laughing and telling each other stories as they walked along a path towards the water. Looking over, Akane’s face suddenly froze and she moaned, “Oh no.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma was glad that Ukyo had finished cooking her food; eating saved him from having to participate in conversation. Not that he was worried; she’d been on her happy monologue for what felt like forever. He was amazed at her little speech. He didn't know how she thought he would be happy with her imagined future. 

A life where his main goal was running a restaurant. Day in and day out, serving people. Never being able to focus on his art. Having the skills he worked so hard to gain wasted.

What gave her the idea that he wanted to run a restaurant? He loved food and he loved to eat, but that was it. He didn’t care how it was made and definitely didn’t care to make it for strangers. 

And she wanted children. Lots of children. She wanted to train them in her style of martial arts so they could continue running the restaurant. Or if her plans worked out, they could each run a branch of her restaurants throughout Japan. She gave no thought to his school or the fact that he may want to train his children in the Anything Goes style. 

The idea of kids was strange to him, despite the fact that his father kept insisting he produce an heir for the school. It wasn’t that he didn’t want kids. He did. In an abstract way. But he was a seventeen year old boy and that wasn’t on his priority list.

On the few occasions he did think about children, he knew who he envisioned to be their mother. Lately, he began having dreams of Akane that were completely different than the ones he usually had.

Akane standing at a window as the light silhouetted her body, one hand rubbing her swollen belly and the other supporting her back.

Akane cradling a small bundle in her arms as she sang and rocked it to sleep.

Akane crouched down, her arms open as a baby toddled towards her and she smiled encouragingly. 

It was really sappy, kinda lame, and would be totally embarrassing if anyone found out about them. But none of that mattered because remembering those dreams brought a smile to his face. 

If he were paying attention to the conversation in front of him, he would have known that smiling at that moment was a mistake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After having made three okonomiyakis for Ranma and one for herself, Ukyo turned off the griddle and went to sit next to Ranma at the counter. What had started out horribly was turning out rather well. She had finally told him her deepest desires, describing in detail the future she saw of them together. She was nervous at first, since it seemed he was unhappy with what she was saying, but after a while it was obvious that he was giving her ideas some serious thought.

She had finished her food and was continuing to tell him about her dream to franchise, with each of their children being given their own restaurant. They would be given more stability and security than either her or Ranma had growing up. Now that she had laid everything out for him, she needed to know what he thought.

“So, Ranma what do you think?”

Ukyo was disappointed at first when he didn’t respond, but she was flooded with relief and happiness when he finally smiled at her. 

_See? I knew he wanted a future with me._

Now that he made it clear how he felt, she would make herself clear to him. She had once tried to show him the benefits of having her as a wife, which included the intimacy that they would share once they were married. She was nervous then, hoping that just sharing a bed with him would be enough to show him how serious she was. She didn’t know if that offer would have led to more, but she had been willing to take the risk. It was a moot point, since he didn't actually share a bed with her that night.

She had spent enough time as a boy and around boys to know exactly what a teenage male wanted from his girlfriend. She was no longer nervous to take this next step with him. In fact, she was more than willing to share with him what a fiancée ought to, truly committing herself to him.

She smoothed her hair and arranged it in a pleasing manner. Ukyo subtly pulled the hem of her skirt higher to show off her toned thighs, and quickly undid the top two buttons of her dress, pulling the corners down, exposing more of her cleavage. Taking a deep breath, she leaned closer to Ranma and placed a hand on his thigh, squeezing it firmly, placing a light kiss on his bare, muscular arm. 

Still lost in thought, Ranma barely felt a hand land on his upper thigh before he felt a pair of lips land on his shoulder. His entire body went tense.

“Stop.”

“Why?” She leaned in to place another kiss on his shoulder, but he suddenly stood up and stepped away from her. Standing up and crossing her arms in a way she knew would push up her breasts even more, she said, “It’s ok. I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

Ranma cursed his lack of attention since he had no idea what was happening. He had an inkling of what she was implying once he took in the state of her clothing and recent actions, but he really hoped he was wrong.

She walked up to him and ran a finger slowly up his arm. "To show you how much I love you. It's ok, I know you want this as much as I do."

Ranma just shook his head in exasperation. What was it with the women in his life throwing themselves at him? Did they really think that he could be led around with his dick?

“What in the world gave you that idea?”

“You! You seemed perfectly happy a second ago at the idea of us together.”

“I don’t know why you would think that, but you’re wrong. That… life you have planned, it has nothing to do with me. Everything you said was describing what you want, but you never once gave a thought to what I would want.”

“That’s not true!” Ukyo said exasperatedly. Trying to calm down, she added, “If there was something I said that….offended you or you didn’t like, we can change it.”

“There was nothing about what you said that I liked or could even imagine for my future!”

Ukyo narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Well then, what do you want?” When he didn’t comment right away she went on, “Why are you being so pig-headed about this? You know we’re going to end up together!”

“Oh really? And why is that?”

“Because! I’m the cute one! I’m the one that can cook! I’m the one that’s known you the longest!”

Ranma felt disappointment wash over him. “Is that what you think? That _that’s_ all that matters to me? That I’m going to decide who to spend the rest of my life with based on how someone looks and what they can make me for dinner? Do you really think I'm that shallow?”

“Of course! That’s all you ever talk about! What else am I supposed to think?” she screamed.

Giving her a cold look he said, “You may have known me the longest, but it’s pretty clear that you don’t understand me at all.”

Ranma walked out without looking back. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

‘Twas a lovely afternoon for a stroll through the park. The sun was shining brightly and a cool breeze ensured he was comfortable. He was admiring the lovely foliage in bloom and greatly appreciated the beauty before him, even if he had to share the space with the lowly commoners that surrounded him. But he was used to such things. After all, not everyone could be descended from nobility, like himself.

But all was not right; the beauty around him did not fill him with joy as it normally would have. The bereft young man was lost in contemplation over the sorry state of his love life. Tatewaki Kuno sighed over his own misery. 

From the moment he saw her, he had given his heart and soul to the lovely, vital Akane Tendo. He saw no other who could match his fire and he longed to have her for his own.

But he knew that her beauty had come with a price; there were others who would seek her affection. To save her from those who did not deserve her, he set out a simple task for those who tried to woo her. To be allowed the chance at her hand, they had only to beat her in battle to prove their worth. It was an ingenious plan, for he had saved her from many unworthy men all the while distinguishing himself from the riff raff.

Being a wholesome, chaste young woman, Akane had rejected his initial advances, but he did not begrudge her that. He knew that she wanted to be sure of his affection, that his was not a fleeting romance before she accepted his courtship. It was laughable to think that his love for her was anything beyond transcendent, but she was only a woman, so she could not understand the all-consuming power of his emotions. To prove himself to her, he set out to assure her of his intentions. Day after day. It was hard work, but whom other than he, one of the strongest, most noble of men, would persevere to prove that he alone deserved her? 

Kuno paused in his thoughts as he saw a group of lovely young maidens running in his direction. He quickly withdrew a red rose, bringing it to his nose to smell, as he propped his right foot on a nearby rock and placed his left hand on his hip, creating what he knew to be a dashing image for the vibrant ladies coming his way. As they grew closer, he gave them a wide charming smile, the sun glinting off his perfect white teeth, and winked at a comely girl with auburn tresses. Even when he was feeling melancholy, he would take the time to bring a little bit of sunshine into the otherwise dreary daily lives of these ordinary girls. Kuno amazed even himself at how self-sacrificing he could be. 

As the girls passed him, he let out another sigh and allowed his thoughts to wind back around to Akane. She had always been a diamond in the rough, shining so much brighter than those around her. But lately, when he looked at her, she seemed to have lost some of the spark that made her unique. 

She had always been vivacious, full of life, passionate! Now she seemed so indifferent to his attentions, so lackadaisical in her responses. She had actually avoided his challenges and let that fiend Saotome interfere with their morning tête-à-têtes. This was definitely not the determined beauty that he fell for. It was almost as if she didn’t want his attentions anymore. 

He scoffed. That idea was preposterous!

Suddenly an ugly thought crept in his mind. Perhaps he misjudged her. As heartbreaking as it was to imagine, maybe she had fooled him into believing she was worthy of his adoration and the effort to keep up appearances became too much for her to bear, leaving only this shell of the girl he had so often longed for. 

But no! He must banish those thoughts; a true gentleman would have more faith in their beloved. He felt like a cad for having entertained those ideas for even a millisecond. To repent, he must put more effort into gaining her hand and never again waver in his pursuit. In return, she would once again shine with the ferocity that he knew existed in her very soul.

As soon as he made this solemn vow, the object of his desires appeared before him and he knew immediately that this was a sign from the heavens that he was once again on a righteous path.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Konatsu giggled to himself. What started as a miserable afternoon had turned into a wonderful one. 

He never regretted leaving his stepmother and stepsisters. The life he led now was full of happiness. He had a roof over his head, was able to eat extravagantly, a full bowl of rice at _every_ meal! He slept on a nice comfortable futon - with sheets _and_ a blanket. He even had his own room (a storage closet)! He had a job that he could be proud of. And he was making so much money, he didn’t know what to do with it all!

But most of all, he had Ukyo. She was the light of his life. 

It wasn’t a secret that he loved her and he knew that she didn’t return his feelings. But he never let it get him down, since he knew someone as wonderful as her could never love someone like him. But he was determined that she have a happy life and he would do his best to help her whenever he could. Even if the things he had participated in had made him sad and a little ashamed. But growing up as kunoichi, he learned long ago that sometimes you had to be ruthless and underhanded to get what you want. 

So when Ukyo had told him today that she had a date with Ranma, he was happy for her. 

Honestly, he was.

But he was a little sad for himself. If Ranma and Ukyo got married, he would no longer be needed at Ucchan'sand then where would he go? 

For the first time since leaving his stepmother’s home, he had truly felt lonely.

It came as a surprise, running into Akane at the park and he felt a little awkward. He hadn't seen her since the wedding and he was still a bit ashamed at his part in helping to make the okonomiyaki bombs; it didn't matter how unwitting the participation. Their initial interaction was stiff to say the least, but things changed once they sat down for ice-cream. He had never spent any one-on-one time with Akane, so it was surprising for him to learn that she had a sense of humor. 

They had bonded over stories of their random adventures and found that they had a bit in common. They both had two older sisters. They both lost their mothers at a young age. They both loved martial arts. And even though it was never vocalized, they both had an unrequited love they would do anything for.

He was happy to be able to continue spending the afternoon with Akane. He was currently telling her about the time his sister attempted to seduce a salary man when he heard Akane groan. Looking up, he saw a rather tall young man running towards them, shouting, "Akane Tendo, my love!"

Noting his white kendogi and blue hakama, Konatsu quickly realized that this was the infamous Tatewaki Kuno he had heard about. He had glimpsed the other man once at the failed wedding, but with all the chaos, he didn’t get a good look.

The kendoist was fast approaching them, shouting, "Akane, I challenge you!" He pulled out his bokken as he continued charging forward.

Konatsu watched avidly as the kondoist yelled, "Strike. Strike. Strike" as he drew closer to the pair. He was surprised that the air pressure coming from the swings alone was causing the air around them to swirl, even at a distance. Turning, he realized that Akane had not taken a defensive position nor made any offensive moves. All she had done was distance herself from Konatsu, moving forward and further to the side. 

Once Kuno came close enough, he swung at her, causing her to dodge to the right. He followed her, shuffling his feet forward and made another strike, which Akane dodged to the left this time. 

They continued their little dance which puzzled Konatsu. There were holes in Kuno's attacks that Akane could have easily taken advantage of to end the fight quickly, but all she did was evade. While it was true that Konatsu had never seen her fight, he knew that she had some skill. Watching their fight continue, it finally dawned on him that Akane didn't want to hit the boy. He had no idea why, but that was the only logical explanation for the game of cat and mouse the two seemed to be participating in. 

Deciding to help his friend, Konatsu ran forward and placed two quick punches to Kuno's kidney and chest before kicking him in the face and sending him flying against a nearby tree. 

He turned to Akane and was rewarded with a wide smile. In that moment, he realized why Ukyo had such a hard time getting Ranma to commit to her. 

"Thanks, Konatsu."

"No problem, Akane." Looking over to Kuno, who was still on the floor, he asked, "Why did you not want to fight him?"

Akane laughed. "It's a long story. But the gist of it is, if I hit him I would essentially be accepting his challenges which only encourages him. I've been trying to avoid his attacks, but it gets hard when he is so darn persistent! Usually Ranma handles him so I don't get tempted to give in and beat the hell out of him. Why don't we get outta...?"

"Who dares strike at me?" Kuno bellowed.

Looking over, they watched Kuno get slowly back on his feet. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kuno was a little dazed as he stood up. The hit he took was rather unexpected and unappreciated as it did not come from his beloved. He had challenged her, hoping to see the sparkle return to her eyes, a sure sign that all was back to normal. At first it looked like his plan was a failure, but the longer he persisted, the more successful he felt. He could see the old fire coming back. That was until they were so rudely interrupted. When he found the culprit, he was going to make the assailant pay for their misdeeds. 

Looking up, he saw Akane, looking lovely in their school uniform. Next to her was a beautiful girl dressed in a traditional kimono and looking at him curiously. He looked around and saw no one else around them. 

_Maybe the evil doer ran away with his tail tucked in between his legs._

Suddenly the kimono clad girl giggled and said, "I'm sorry, sir. That would be me."

"Forgive me, but I do not believe a delicate flower such as yourself would be able to achieve such a task."

The girl pulled out a fan, artfully expanding it before placing it in front of the lower half of her face. She looked at him through her lashes, saying, "Of course a man as strong and handsome as yourself would be unaccustomed to anyone challenging you. However, it really was me. I must apologize for my brash behavior, but I felt it necessary to aid my friend." She then bowed lowly to him.

Being a chivalrous man, he would of course accept her apology.

"Think nothing of it, good lady. It was a lucky shot for I was distracted and I cannot fault you for being a loyal friend."

The girl only gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement and then batted her eyes at him which caused his heart to race in his chest. 

"Forgive me, but we have not been properly introduced. My name is Kuno, Tatewaki, rising star of the kendo world, captain of Furinkan High School’s kendo team, known throughout the land by the name ‘Blue Thunder', age 18." He gave her a low dramatic bow.

She giggled again, before saying demurely, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Kuno, my name is Konatsu."

Walking up to the beautiful young woman, he decided to bestow upon her a kiss to show his appreciation of her beauty. Taking her hand, he raised it to his lips and was surprised when she pulled back quickly and slapped him across his face.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow a stranger to take such liberties."

He looked into her eyes and there it was! The sparkle that he had missed seeing lately. His heart beat even faster as he took another look at the girl before him.

She really was beautiful. She had long hair pulled back into a pony tail and a strong but delicate face. She carried herself with poise and was well spoken. There seemed to be an interesting dichotomy about her; her delicate femininity hiding the strength that he had just witnessed. She, like himself, seemed to value the traditional. Something that both the pig-tailed girl and Akane Tendo lacked.

A light bulb went off over his head.

Could it be possible that the heavens had led him to this lovely young woman today and not Akane? Was it a sign that in his darkest hour he be presented with a girl that had both the innocence and passionate nature of Akane Tendo, combined with the beauty and vitality of his pigtailed goddess, along with the poise and grace of his own noble nature?

He could not...would not ignore the call of destiny!

"Well, may I suggest we take the opportunity to get to know each other better, then. Will you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?" Kuno asked, presenting her with a dozen red roses. 

Delicately taking the flowers from him, she gave him a flirtatious smile as she said, "It would be my pleasure."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane watched the scene unfold before her with amusement and her jaw dropped when she heard Konatsu accept the date with Kuno. 

Frozen in shock, she could do nothing as she watched the pair walk away. They had only moved a short distance when Kuno tried to put his arms around Konatsu. In response, the kunoichi threw him over his shoulder and onto the ground before waving a finger at Kuno, clearly telling him that behavior was unacceptable. Waiting for Kuno to stand, the kunoichi turned his head and winked at Akane before strolling off with his new admirer.

Akane watched as they walked away, still processing what had just transpired. Could it be that Konatsu had taken it upon himself to help her by catching Kuno's attention? She had told him a few stories about Kuno's obsessiveness and how he was easily distracted by a pretty face. It was obvious that he was using his kunoichi training in seduction against Kuno. It worked spectacularly because once he started flirting with the kendoist, it was if she had become invisible. 

Suddenly Akane started laughing. Laughing until her sides hurt and tears formed in her eyes. She would have to find some way to thank the kunoichi for his help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I really hope you liked the Kuno POV. It was really hard for me since it is the opposite of the way I write but ended up being a lot of fun once I got into it.

As always, thanks to **PepperonyOwl** and **alwaysZutarian** for their general awesomeness.

Original Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Revised: May 11, 2015


	6. Arc II: Chain Reactions, Chapter: The Tendo Sisters

Akane and Nodoka strolled into the shopping district of Nerima, armed with shopping lists and baskets for their future purchases. When Akane heard she was getting another cooking lesson she had been understandably excited at the prospect. However, she had been confused when she walked into the kitchen and saw Kasumi already prepping for their evening meal while Nodoka was writing something on the kitchen counter.

"Aunty, aren't we cooking today?" she asked in confusion.

"No, we're going shopping," she replied with a smile on her face. When Akane's face showed disappointment, Nodoka added, "A big part of cooking is making sure you have the right ingredients. We had a good lesson the other day on how to identify good produce and I want to see how much you remembered. Don't worry, we'll also be learning something new."

Not fully mollified, but not wanting to act ungrateful, she replied, "Okay."

On their way to town, Nodoka explained that she would be making chicken udon the next day and would be stopping by several stores to pick up the necessary ingredients. Their first stop was to the butcher shop. Akane was surprised when Nodoka walked up to the counter and asked for three whole chickens.

"Aunty, do we need all of that just for the chicken udon?"

"No, we don't. We'll be using parts of the thighs and legs for the broth and then be using the meat from those pieces for the udon. The breasts and wings will be cut and set in the fridge for dinner the following evening; I believe Kasumi will be making teriyaki with the breasts and frying the chicken wings. The chicken skin, livers, hearts, and gizzards will be used for yakitori to go along with the udon."

Looking around, Akane noticed the butcher had all of these individual pieces already processed and ready for purchase. She thought that buying them that way would save them time.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just buy them already pre-cut?"

"Yes, but if you bought each of the ingredients pre-cut it would cost more than buying a chicken whole. The butchers charge for their services." Nodoka paused before adding, "Martial artists don't make much money and as a martial artist’s wife, one has to find ways to stretch a yen. One easy way to do that is try to stretch your grocery budget. Especially if you are married to someone with a bottom-less pit for a stomach. "

Nodoka gave Akane a meaningful look and the young girl blushed.

They left the store, not noticing the person who had been watching them from the window or the way their eyes narrowed in anger.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma was currently walking around town, bored and looking for a distraction. He was still angry at Ukyo and what she had said yesterday and wanted to take his mind off things.

But if he were honest with himself, he was getting angry more often lately. Worse, his anger wasn't going away like it used to. Before, he would be able to simply shrug things off.

Attack him out of the blue? Forgotten after the ensuing battle.

Whack him on the head with a blunt object? It was forgiven as soon as he regained consciousness.

But after China, his temper had been bubbling just below the surface, ready to explode at anyone who ticked him off.

Anyone but Akane. She seemed to have the unique ability to calm him. A simple touch of her hand on his chest could tame him almost instantly.

He noticed the other day that she was able to sneak up on him, getting in so close she could be touching him before he even noticed her presence. He had been worried that somehow his martial arts skills were slipping before it hit him; he had absolutely no fear of Akane.

Sure, she would hit him when provoked - and even that had stopped recently - but he knew that she would never do anything to really hurt him. She was the only one that was always there for him. Even when he insisted that he didn't need her.

She had been on his side from the beginning, even when he thought she hated him. She had forgiven him for all the things he said about her. She had helped him when he was hiding his true identify from his mother. He could go on and on describing the ways Akane was there for him.

It had finally dawned on him, Akane was the only person he trusted with his life. And she had earned it by risking hers for him time and again.

He must have realized it unconsciously and that was why she could get past his defenses in a way that no one else could.

Before he had left the house, he had gone to see if Akane wanted to hang out with him and was disappointed when he saw her and his mother leave together. He had to admit that he was happy that the two women got along so well. Although Akane never said it, he could tell that she thought of his mother as a surrogate for her own and treated Nodoka with the respect and love she would have shown her own mother.

Before his curse was revealed, he was actually very jealous of their relationship, wishing he had such an open and honest one with his mother, not one full of lies. But now that she knew about his curse and he had admitted - to himself at least - his feelings for Akane, he was more than glad that the two women had developed a bond.

Walking on top of the fence along the canal, Ranma paused when he heard the familiar sound of a bike bell ring near him. A moment later, he heard the battle cry, "Airen! Airen!" and he sighed warily.

He hadn't seen the Amazon since the incident at the park, which he was very happy about. Turning to his right, he saw her riding her bike along the fence, headed directly towards him. For once, she had stopped her bike before it landed on his head and she jumped off it and headed for him, her arms wide open, clearly expecting a warm welcome.

Waiting until the very last possible moment, Ranma grabbed her left arm as she tried to wrap it around him, throwing her over his shoulder. He turned to watch as the amazon did a flip in mid-air so that she could land firmly on her feet. But unfortunately for her, there was nowhere to go and she fell into the canal. Ranma closed his eyes before she hit the water and turned around, not wanting to see her cursed form.

Whistling to himself, he began to walk away. He had gone two feet before jumping backwards onto the fence as a mace went flying through the exact spot he had just been standing on.

"What did you do to my beloved Shampoo?" Mousse screamed as he launched several more weapons at Ranma. "I demand to know where she is!"

The blind martial artist continued to launch a few more weapons and one portable toddler potty at him. Ranma, having almost been hit a few times, realized Mousse was actually wearing his glasses for once.

"Don't worry, Mousse, I'll help you find her," Ranma taunted before rushing towards his opponent at top speed, looking ready to ram him. Mousse jumped straight up, caught off guard as he did not expect such a response from Ranma. A moment later, he felt a foot hit his back and he flew over the fence and splashed in the canal.

The pig-tailed boy watched as the man transformed into a duck and paddled away, presumably to look for a purple cat. He really didn't want to do that to Mousse since he really did consider the guy a friend, but he saw no other way to end the fight without doing some serious injury to the other man. Mousse was just too myopic when it came to his obsession with Shampoo.

Ranma chuckled at his own joke before looking down and noticing that his shirt had a cut along the stomach. Taking a closer look, he realized he also had a cut along the side of his stomach. It wasn't too bad - especially since he didn't even remember getting hit - but deep enough that he should get it taken care of. He had to give it to Mousse, his aim was getting much better.

Sighing, he headed towards Dr. Tofu's office, knowing the doctor could patch him up quickly without getting worked up like either his mother or Akane.

Opening the clinic door, he headed toward the back examination area when he saw the front room was empty. He was just about to call out when he stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping in shock at what was going on before him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With all their purchases in tow, the two ladies headed back home where Akane watched as Nodoka deftly processed the first chicken into different parts.

The Saotome matriarch showed Akane how to hold the knife properly and let her, with supervision, cut up the second chicken which took a lot longer to do. After seeing that Akane could handle the knife successfully, she allowed her to attempt the last chicken by herself, only needing to make minor suggestions when the young girl forgot a step.

Akane was happy with the lesson since she learned more than she expected, but was disappointed when she found out that she wouldn't be able to help make the broth tomorrow. The broth took at least 8 hours to make and Aunty would be starting it right after they left for school the next morning.

But the lesson left Akane completely boggled. She had been enjoying Kasumi's meals for years without a thought towards the amount of effort and time it must have taken her older sister to prepare such wonderful meals. She had always respected Kasumi and that respect had just multiplied exponentially when she thought of all the work that her sister put into making their lives run as smoothly as possible and the huge responsibility she had taken on at such a young age.

Suddenly it was like a switch flipped in her head and Akane had an epiphany. She had always dived in head first when she wanted to cook. She never spent any time preparing. She just thought of something she wanted to cook and started doing it, not even taking the time to consider if she had all the ingredients. When she thought of the amount of time it must have taken Kasumi to restock the supplies she used during those failed attempts, she cringed.

Upon further introspection, she understood that the one time she had successfully made the pot of curry, she had bought and prepared the ingredients before she began cooking.

She vowed that from this point forward she would put more time and energy into all the parts of cooking and not just try to throw things together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma blinked, then rubbed his eyes and blinked again. He definitely wasn't seeing things.

Dr. Tofu was standing before him, his arms wrapped around Kasumi’s waist, with her hands placed gently on his chest.

Oh and they were kissing.

Ranma tried to move backwards as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb the pair in front of him. But just then the couple broke apart and he heard Kasumi squeak when she noticed Ranma in the room. Dr. Tofu was just standing there dazed; his glasses fogged over, a stunned look on his face and a smile on his lips.

"R-Ranma, wh-what are you doing here?" Kasumi asked nervously.

"Nothing! I'm here for nothing! I didn't see anything! I'll just be going now," Ranma said, before moving towards the door.

"Ranma! What happened to your stomach?" Kasumi asked, looking at his shirt.

"It's okay, it's nothing, really..."

"No, it's not okay. You need to have that looked at right now. I'll just wait outside for you."

She walked out, closing the dividing door behind her. Ranma was unsure of what to do. He really wanted to leave, not willing to risk being examined by the doctor in his current haze. But he knew Kasumi wouldn't just let him go without some sort of treatment. Before he could make a decision, he heard someone cough behind him.

"Hello there, Ranma, I didn't see you come in. Why don't you come over here and have a seat, while I take a look at you?"

Ranma walked over cautiously. Tofu seemed to be acting normally, but the pig-tailed boy was still concerned, remembering the time he left with his neck stuck at a weird angle from the doctor just looking at Kasumi. He shuddered as he imagined what would be the result of the man kissing her. He was sure he would walk out with some of his limbs going the wrong direction.

"Hey, doc. How you been?"

"Good, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Now, can you take off your shirt so I can look at your cut?"

Taking off his shirt, he decided to stay quiet, not wanting to distract the doctor. He was simply amazed that Tofu was acting so normal after kissing Kasumi.

Kasumi!

His brain was still having a hard time processing the information.

"So, Ranma, about what you saw..."

"It's okay, doc, it's none of my business," Ranma said, secretly dying to know what was going on between the pair.

"Well, I don't think that's true, but I think it's best if Kasumi tells you herself."

"Sure," Ranma said with a casual shrug.

He watched as Dr. Tofu cleaned the wound, declared that he did not need stitches, and placed a large swatch over the wound.

As Ranma was putting on his shirt, his curiosity got the better of him. "Ummm... so I noticed that you are... ummm acting pretty normal after what I saw earlier...." he asked tentatively, not really knowing how to phrase his question.

"And you are wondering why it is that I am not running around town, dancing with Betty?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, the pig-tailed boy replied, "Yes."

"Without giving too much away, I will say that I've become accustomed to Kasumi's presence, so I don't react the way I used to. But her kisses still dazzle me and it takes me a moment or two to get back to normal," he said with a smirk.

Laughing, Ranma thanked the doctor and headed home with Kasumi. On their walk, he learned that she had started coming around the doctor more and more during the last two years and Tofu had slowly started to get used to her being around him. It took a while but gradually the amount of 'lucid' time he spent around her increased. Although, when he was unprepared to see her, he would revert back temporarily.

Things turned serious when Akane was kidnapped and brought to China. Kasumi had been worried about her sister, and distraught, she had gone to Tofu for support. Knowing that he had to step up and be there to comfort her, he was finally able to hold her without acting out.

She had gone over to the clinic earlier to drop off some dinner for Tofu, a good excuse to visit when she missed him. She was just saying her goodbyes when Ranma had walked in.

"Ranma? Do you think you could keep this to yourself? I don't like asking you to lie to Akane, or anyone else, but I just want to see where this goes without our family interfering. You know how our fathers are about weddings. I just don't want to tempt fate," she said quietly.

Ranma was touched that Kasumi not only considered him part of the family, but his parents too.

"Of course, Kasumi. Your secret is safe with me."

He definitely thought the couple deserved some peace and quiet before their family found out; no doubt causing chaos for them with their well-intentioned meddling.

It was nice to know that someone was figuring out their life. He still had no idea what to do to get out of the mess his father got him in. No matter how angry he had been lately, he still wanted to leave things as amicably as possible with everyone.

The pair walked the remainder of the way home in silence. Kasumi was glad she finally had a confidant in her future brother-in-law, for she was certain Ranma and Akane would end up together. The pig-tailed boy was happy for Kasumi, but confused about his own life and still angry anytime he thought about Ukyo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next afternoon, Akane walked out of school alone. Ranma had disappeared after class and she wondered if he was avoiding her. It didn't escape her notice that Ukyo had also left quickly and she wondered if the pair was spending another afternoon together. Her chest throbbed at the idea and her stomach rolled with anxiety.

She was distracted from her thoughts when she saw a now familiar figure standing at the gates of the school.

"Hi, Taro. Are you here to do some more errands? I thought you had completed them all?" She asked, slightly confused.

"I have, but I happened to be close by and wanted to know if you wanted to spar?"

"Really? You came all the way here just to see if I wanted to spar?"

Taro shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Akane gave him a big smile and nodded in agreement before they started off towards her house so she could change.

As they walked, they passed a group of girls, causing Taro to turn his head and smile at the young women. He watched them as they walked away.

"Taro, stop being such a pervert," Akane hissed at him, slightly surprised and embarrassed by his behavior.

Taro turned to her, a look of surprise on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Those girls, you shouldn't be staring at them like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's...it's just not right."

"I'm a guy. It's what we do. And just to set the record straight, I wasn't staring at them, I was just looking at them. There's a difference. I mean, it's not like I was going to pounce on them or anything."

"Well, how do I know that? More importantly, how do they?" she asked, sounding skeptical.

Shocked, Taro asked, "What kind of guy do you think I am?"

When she didn't answer right away, he began getting angry.

"Seriously, is that what you think of me?"

"No, not really," Akane said with a sigh. "It's just that from my experience, when a guy notices a girl, he ends up... well... trying to force her to... go out with him."

Taro laughed at her comment, thinking she was joking but stopped when he realized she was being completely serious. Thinking back to his brief interaction with the males at her school, he realized he should have known better.

"It's natural for guys to look at girls and for girls to look at guys. I'm sure you get checked out and hit on more than you realize. There’s nothing wrong with a guy taking a glance at a girl. It just means he appreciates how she looks. It's only bad if he makes her uncomfortable by staring too long. Or makes her think that he's going to force himself on her."

When she continued to look uncertain, he tried a different approach.

“I’m sure you’ve checked out a guy or two yourself.” She arched her eyebrow at him and he added, “Don’t tell me you’ve never eyeballed Saotome.”

Akane thought back to watching Ranma train in the yard, clad only in his black pants and ribbed cotton tank-top. She remembered the way his muscles tensed as he moved through his katas, sweat dripping down his neck as it reached that sexy point where his collar bones touched.

Then unbidden, the image changed and suddenly she was picturing Ranma completely naked as he emerged from the furo, water dripping off his entire muscular body. She remembered how her eyes had trailed down his body, admiring is eight pack abs before reaching his dark patch of hair. Her gaze continued down until it finally landed on the appendage that lay between his legs.

Growing hot and feeling her cheeks getting red, she shook her head to rid herself of the image.

Taro chuckled at her response. “It’s okay, you don’t need to be embarrassed,” he said, misinterpreting her expression. “And he’s checked out other girls, like that hot amazon chick, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, when you were kidnapped, she was practically naked and prancing around in front of him, but he didn’t even notice; his entire focus was on you.”

"Then how do you know he's checked her out?"

"Have you seen the chick? She's fucking hot. He'd have to be dead or gay _not_ to have checked her out." He paused, like he was contemplating something before adding, "He's not gay, right?"

She smacked him on the shoulder. "You know he's not."

"Then he's checked her out."

Akane had no idea if what he said was true but she couldn’t see a reason for him to lie. While she wasn't happy at the thought of the Amazon running around half-naked in front of Ranma, she did like the idea of him ignoring a practically naked Shampoo because of her.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” she asked curiously.

Taro sighed.

“It’s simple. You’re going to cause yourself a lot of trouble if you get all worked up over trivial things like this. Save your anger for something important.”

Akane smiled at him in gratitude and watched as he stopped and stood akimbo, turning his head to the side.

“It’s okay if you want to check me out.”

He moved his arms, putting one in front of his face at a ninety degree angle, fist pointing up and the other behind his back, fist down, while he lowered one knee to the ground.

“I don’t mind,” he added before kissing a bicep. He stood up and brought both hands around in a circular motion around his body until he connected them, fist to fist, arms bowed at the side.

Her lips quirked upwards as she said dryly, “Yup, you are definitely one fine specimen of man.”

Taro ran his hand through his hair before shaking his head side to side. “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pig-tailed boy was once again quiet and lost in contemplation.

He was not brooding.

Brooding was not manly.

Ranma was currently stuck on the topic of Ukyo. He was still feeling angry at her and what she had told him. To make matters worse, she had been trying to talk to him all day when all he wanted to do was forget their conversation. It was definitely not helping his mood.

Not trusting himself to deal with her without exploding, he left school as quickly as possible. It felt a little cowardly but he didn't think anything else would work.

Ukyo was supposed to be his friend. She was supposed to know him. But it seemed like she didn't understand him at all.

But that got him wondering; what was he looking for in a wife?

Slowly it came to him, little by little. He wanted someone caring and loyal but who wasn't a pushover. Someone who would be there for him even when he did and said stupid things. Someone who would argue with him but still support him in the end. Someone who was kind and fierce at the same time. Someone who saw him as more than a martial arts genius and looked beyond his amazing good looks and superior physique.

It was purely a lucky coincidence that all these things described Akane perfectly.

He simply ignored the fact that while thinking of the type of woman he wanted to marry he kept imaging his blue-haired fiancée’s beautiful face.

Ranma stood up and brushed himself off, unable to sit still any longer. He had been sitting near the canal and decided a walk was just what he needed to make him feel better.

Although it ended up not helping at all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The pair continued on their way towards the Tendo home, Taro telling her about all of the chores he finished, and stopped when they reached the abandoned lot.

"I'll wait here."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes."

When she returned they began to spar. Taro was impressed that Akane seemed to remember all the minor adjustments he had mentioned to her during their previous session, which made a big difference . Though she had a tendency to commit too much energy into each attack and still over extended herself.

Taro had just decided to take a break in their match when he felt a presence near them, one that seemed to be watching them. Thinking that it was Ranma, who was doing a very poor job concealing himself, Taro decided that it was indeed a good time to fix Akane's little mistakes and have a little fun with Ranma at the same time.

Forming a T with his hands, Taro indicated his desire for a break. Akane walked over to grab two water bottles, handing one to Taro as she reached him.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Taking a swig, Taro said, "That was much better than the first time." Akane gave him a smile in response. "But, you are still over committing when you attack and have a tendency to over-extend when you punch."

Akane faltered a little, feeling disheartened but shook off the feeling, trying to focus on the positive part of his critique.

"Can you show me what I am doing wrong?"

Taro smirked at her, which she thought was a little strange, before saying, "I'd be happy to."

He asked Akane to get into a horse stance, before coming to stand behind her and asking her to throw a punch. As she threw a punch with her right hand, she felt Taro step closer to her. He put his hands on her shoulders as her fist reached the farthest point, effectively stopping her from bringing her hand backwards.

He leaned over her shoulder and said, "Do you see how far your upper body is twisted?" When she nodded, he added, "Your fist is actually angled slightly towards your left when it should be straight in front of you." Moving her shoulders slightly, he continued, "Now, your body should stop here. Do you see how your fist is straight in front of you?"

"Yes, I can see the difference."

"Good." Taro pulled back from Akane and stepped in front of her. "I know that is a minor correction but at our skill level, the slightest miss-step and slowness in reaction times are what makes the difference between losing and winning."

Akane nodded her head and tried not to grin at the thought that Taro considered her to be in his skill level.

"Now, I know you mainly do roundhouse kicks, but I've noticed a slight adjustment that needs to be made to your front kicks." Still standing in front of her, he directed her to send a kick at him and grabbed her foot when she had her leg extended.

"You are leaning back a tad too much. Hold this position."

He let go of her foot, walked around her and moved his hands to her hips, rotating them up slightly and putting a hand to her back, straightening her. "Instead of leaning back try to bring your hip up a little more before kicking out. Now, try again and stop at the same spot."

This time when Akane kicked, Taro kept his hands on her hips encouraging them into the correct position. When she stopped with her leg out, he said, "Do you feel the difference? You should be a little more stable in this position than the previous one."

"Actually, I can." Taro moved away from her and she turned to face him, giving him a smile, "Thanks. Wanna spar again and let me see if I can make the changes while I fight?"

"Sure."

Taro felt the presence leave while he was adjusting her kick. He was slightly disappointed he didn't currently have an angry fiancé on his hands but he was sure Ranma got an eyeful. While he did nothing inappropriate, he was sure that from a distance the interactions did not look completely innocent. He internally laughed at the idea of the moron off somewhere sulking, too scared of his fiancée's reaction to confront him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was currently in her room, looking at her math book, her head throbbing. When she sat down for dinner that night, she was frustrated to find Ranma being oddly distant. She had tried to engage him in conversation a few times but stopped when all she got in response were monosyllabic answers.

She tried to shrug off the hurt, but she was unsuccessful. For the life of her, she didn't know what she may have done to offend him. Then it occurred to her that maybe his behavior was connected to the date he had with Ukyo.

She had no idea what happened yesterday; he didn't mention it and she didn't ask. As far as she knew, he didn't know that she even knew the date took place. A sense of dread filled her as she wondered if something happened the other day. Maybe his distant attitude had to do with his realization that he was in love with Ukyo and his reluctance at speaking with her was because he didn't know how to break it to her.

Akane spent the rest of dinner telling herself that she would be happy for him, but feeling herself become more and more depressed as the evening went on. She had excused herself early and decided to do her homework, hoping it would take her mind off things.

It didn't work. She kept envisioning Ukyo and Ranma together, holding hands, kissing, and had one very disturbing flash of Ranma making love to the okonomiyaki chef that made her feel nauseous.

After that she had redoubled her effort to focus on her work and the strain it took on her to read and understand her assignment had caused a rather large headache to form. She had just decided to take a break when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called out before turning in her chair to face her visitor.

Nabiki came strolling into the room, closing the door behind her with a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face that had Akane feeling apprehensive. She had no idea what her sister wanted to talk about but she knew she wasn't going to like it.

Her sister crossed her arms before saying, "So, you have fun today, Akane?'

Confused, Akane shrugged as she replied, "I guess so."

"Oh, so nothing _interesting_ happened?"

"No, not really."

"Hmm, because I am sure I saw you with Taro earlier and you two were looking awfully friendly."

Frustrated because she had absolutely no idea where her sister was going with the current conversation, Akane said firmly, "No, we were just sparring."

Nabiki narrowed her eyes and Akane was taken aback at the maliciousness that crossed her sister's face.

"Uh-huh. It's okay, you don't have to lie to me, I won't tell Ranma." She smirked at her younger sister before she started examining her nails. "Not that I think he would care anyways."

When Akane didn't take the bait, Naibiki said casually, "You know, I happened to be near Ucchan'syesterday." She smiled when she saw her sister stiffen at the mention of the restaurant.

Akane eyed her sister warily, noticing the shark-like smile appear on her face. Having dealt with Nabiki her entire life, she was now positive that she would hate what was coming next.

"It was strange, really, to see it closed in the middle of the afternoon. But guess who I saw walk directly towards the restaurant? Ranma. I watched as he knocked on the door and Ukyo opened it almost immediately. You know, I think she was expecting him because she looked awfully _cute_. I've never really seen her in a dress and I was pretty impressed. She welcomed him in and closed the door behind her. She had all the blinds closed so I don't know what actually happened, but he left the restaurant an hour later. What do you think they could have been doing in there the entire time? All alone, with the lights low?"

When Akane didn't answer, Nabiki said flippantly, "Oh, did I mention that after Ranma left, Ukyo came to close the door and the buttons of her dress were undone?"

Akane closed her eyes as the full implication of what her sister was telling her hit home. Nabiki had just confirmed her worst fears. She needed to be alone, she didn't want to break down in front of her sister for she would never hear the end of it.

"Can you please leave? I'd like to be alone," she said hoarsely.

"Oh come on, Akane! You don't know what happened, it could have been _totally_ innocent," she replied, her tone implying she didn't believe that to be true.

"Please, can you just...go?"

Nabiki just rolled her eyes at her younger sister. "Geez," she said exasperatedly, "you take everything so seriously."

All of a sudden the pressure in Akane’s head seemed to swell as she looked at her gleeful sister. Her sister who had just told her that the love of her life had been with another woman and it had made her _happy_ to do it.

"I'm serious. You need to get out of my room."

"Stop being so uptight, Akane."

Said girl stood up and pointed to her door. "Get out, Nabiki," she growled.

"I have no idea why you are getting so upset."

Something inside Akane snapped.

"You want to know why I'm upset? Really? You come in here and accuse me of behaving inappropriately with Taro. Then you sit there and tell me that Ranma had _been_ with Ukyo and you're smiling like that makes you happy." Akane said with disgust.

"Grow up, Sis. I was just trying to have a little fun.”

“Fun? You think messing with my life is fun? Do you think it was fun for me when those boys attacked me every day?” Akane asked indignantly.

“I didn’t cause that or anything else to happen to you. It’s not my fault you are a magnet for crazy stuff,” Nabiki snapped back.

"You’re right, you didn’t cause it. But in some cases, you made it worse. Selling pictures of me to Kuno and all the other boys at school, working them into a frenzy, made it worse.

"You want to know why I'm so upset? Maybe it’s because you took bets on the hentai horde attacking me instead of doing anything to help me. Maybe it’s because you 'borrowed' all my clothes and personal belongings without telling me and never gave any of it back, but you never shared anything with me. Maybe it’s because you blackmailed Ranma and me whenever you could. Maybe it’s because you pretended to be in love with Ranma and then tried to SELL HIM BACK TO ME. Maybe it's because you told everyone about the 'engagement ring' and helped destroy Aunty's house. Or maybe it’s because you invited everyone to MY wedding so you could make a quick buck knowing they would wreck it! They wrecked the dojo which has been in our family for generations and you didn't care!

"Maybe because in the last two years, you have done NOTHING but think about yourself. About how YOU could use every opportunity to make YOU money. The ONLY person you care about is YOU. Does that answer your question?!” she screamed at her sister.

During Akane’s tirade, Nabiki’s eyes grew wide as saucers and her jaw dropped, forming a small o. Her sister had been mad at her before but she had never screamed at her like this. She tried to recover as quickly as possible, putting on an indifferent mask.

"I don’t know what I did to make you hate me and to try to cause me so much pain,” the petite martial artist added, her voice full of anguish.

“I don’t hate you," she scoffed.

“Well, you sure as hell don’t love me. Or even care about me. You know, if mom were alive, she would be disappointed in you. All mom cared about was family and all you care about is money.”

Nabiki flinched at the statement.

The room filled with uncomfortable silence before Akane said, “Now, can you please just leave?”

Without responding, Nabiki turned around and slowly walked out of the room.

When the door closed, Akane threw herself onto her bed, overwhelmed. She could no longer hold back her tears as her emotions got the better of her. She curled up on her side and cried into her pillow, feeling completely devastated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** To all those Nabiki lovers out there, I'm sorry, but it had to be done. I hope we can still be friends.

Thank you, **PepperonyOwl** and **alwaysZutarian** , for your awesome help!

Original Publication Date: July 15, 2014

Revised: May 11, 2015


	7. Arc II: Chain Reactions, Chapter: How to Become A Man

The next day, Akane was headed home from school, once again by herself. But this time, it was her that snuck out to avoid Ranma, even going so far as to skip her afternoon classes. 

She was still reeling from her conversation with Nabiki the previous night, having been really hurt by her sister's dismissive attitude and downright cruel behavior. But part of her was unsurprised; the middle Tendo had slowly grown colder over the last couple of years. No one bothered to chastise her for her behavior since she simply dismissed anything they said.

What bothered Akane the most was not Nabiki's behavior, because at that point she simply did not expect anything more from her sister, but what Nabiki said about Ranma and Ukyo. She couldn't lie to herself, she was completely crushed at the idea of the two having been together...having been intimate.

She felt completely empty inside, but at the same time there was a very real physical ache in her chest. The pain felt like a constant presence, reminding her that she had lost the one thing she truly wanted. When her brain betrayed her and she imagined the two of them embracing, the ache grew stronger, making her wince. It was so strong that she couldn't even be in the same room with the pair and for the first time in her life, she understood why people used the term ‘a broken heart’.

It had become unbearable as she noticed Ukyo glancing at Ranma more often today, giving him a satisfied smirk. Each time she saw that _knowing_ look on the other girl's face, she felt the pain in her chest increase and had the over-whelming desire to slap the okonomiyaki chef in the face. The urge made her feel ashamed of herself. She didn't want to be _that_ girl; the one who blamed 'the other woman', when she knew it took two people to cheat. 

But was it cheating? Ranma had every right to pick his other fiancée and she knew it. He never made any declarations or vows to her. He never professed his undying love. She couldn't be mad at him if Ukyo was his choice.

Even if it made her feel like she was dying inside.

But there was one very small part of her that screamed at her stupidity. That argued against Nabiki's words, saying no one but Ranma and Ukyo knew what happened at the restaurant. It sneered at her cowardice and inability to just ask him what happened. Telling her that she deserved this misery if she was just going to roll over and let someone else end up with the man she wanted without even putting up a fight. Taunting her, by saying she didn't deserve Ranma anyway, since she obviously had so little faith in him.

She hated that part of her, but clung to it all the same. It was the only thing that stopped her from falling into what felt like madness and gave her a glimmer of hope.

Reaching the park, she sat down on her favorite bench by the water. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm. She took deep breaths and opened her eyes slowly.

She felt embarrassed at her response. She had fallen apart; reacted worse than she did after the failed wedding. She was stronger than that and it was about time she started acting that way. She _would_ stop overreacting. She would wait for Ranma to actually declare himself and then she would deal with whatever came.

She steeled herself, willing herself to calm. Maybe if she pretended she was calm, acted like nothing bothered her, it would help. She schooled her face into a passive mask. Having watched both Kasumi and Nabiki do the same for years, it was not hard to figure out how they managed it. The difference between her and her sisters was that she never cared before about showing her feelings; she had never been ashamed, embarrassed, or concerned about expressing herself. 

But now, it was important for her to learn. It had come to a point where her emotions felt like a burden. Maybe learning how to be able to keep on a calm facade would also teach her how to control her moods and keep her temper down. 

Akane placed one hand over the other, placing both gently on her lap, crossed her legs at her ankles before tucking them under the bench, looking like a delicate female she knew she wasn't.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ukyo was once again in front of the mirror, prepping herself. This time she had donned a traditional kimono, set her hair in a simple bun, and applied a very light layer of make-up for the occasion. She stood demurely, appraising herself from every possible angle as she practiced bowing, kneeling, and how to walk and sit properly. 

She had been very disappointed in her date with Ranma and realized that she shouldn't have been so presumptuous in believing he wanted a more physical relationship with her. But she refused to believe that she had lost. There was still hope and today, she had a plan. She didn't really want to play this hand, but she would do what she had to do to get her man. 

Some people would call her desperate, but she liked to think of herself as being determined. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sitting on the bench, Akane was glad that the effort of keeping her expression calm was actually taking her mind off things. It was harder than it looked, especially when all she wanted to do was beat the day lights out of something. But that never really helped in the long run.

What she needed was someone to talk to. But there was no one she could go to. She wanted to ask Konatsu about it, since he was quickly becoming a very good friend. But there was one subject that they have instinctively ignored; Ranma and Ukyo. It was an unspoken rule that they avoided speaking of the pair as a couple. It was almost impossible to avoid talking about people who played such huge parts in their lives, but they kept the conversations to anti-dotes.

She smiled slightly as she remembered the conversation they had the morning after they had ice-cream.

_Akane started out as usual on her morning run. She had gone two blocks and suddenly her senses tingled and she prepared herself for an attack. Her heart beat faster when a dark figure jumped in front of her, but she relaxed from her defensive position as she recognized Konatsu._

_"Sorry, Akane, did I scare you?"_

_"A little, but it's ok, you're keeping me on my toes. What are you doing here?"_

_"Well, I wanted to thank you for the ice-cream yesterday. I had a wonderful time and I didn't get a chance to tell you how much I enjoyed myself."_

_"You're welcome! But you didn't have to thank me; I had a really good time too." She crossed her arms and smirked at him before adding, "So, are you going to tell me what that was about yesterday?"_

_She was puzzled when his face fell._

_"I'm sorry, Akane...I didn't mean anything by it...I just thought you needed...so I..."_

_Akane's laugh stopped his rambling. "I'm not mad, I'm actually really grateful! I just wondered why you did it."_

_Konatsu looked relieved and said, "Oh good. I didn't want to over-step my bounds. When you were fighting yesterday, I figured out that you didn't want to hit Kuno and he didn't look like he was going to stop without some help, so..." Konatsu shrugged, clearly stating that she knew the rest._

_"And I appreciate it, I really do. But what made you accept his offer for a date?"_

_"I don't know really, it was just impulse. At first, I was just trying to draw some attention away from you. Then after I hit him, he seemed to really take notice of me. I could tell he was interested and I just went into flirtation mode automatically. When he asked me for the date, I thought it the most expedient way to get him out of your hair._

_"I am a little confused about one thing though, why didn't you just hit him when you had an opening?"_

_"Ahh. That." Akane went on to explain about her plan to keep Kuno away._

_"Well, you know, he seemed really interested in me. I could try to keep you off his radar for a while."_

_"Oh, Konatsu, that's so nice of you, but really I couldn't ask you to do that. I mean, I know you aren't attracted to men."_

_Konatsu waved away her protest, saying, "I was trained as a kunoichi, so this will be a piece of cake."_

_They chatted for a while before Akane realized that she had run out of time. "I'm sorry but I have to get back if I want to make it to school on time. Thanks again for your help and keeping Kuno out of my hair."_

_"I'm sorry, that I made you miss your run," he said apologetically._

_"Don't worry about it. I run every morning, missing one is fine."_

_"Would you mind if I ran with you tomorrow? I usually practice when Ukyo is at school but I've always loved a good run."_

_"I try to leave at the same time every day, so meet me at my house tomorrow!"_

Every morning since then the pair had met up. After the first day, the duo had been stretching and discussed the possibility of a spar. From there, their simple jogs morphed into a quick jog, a spar, and some training; Konatsu was teaching Akane to use some classic ninja tools. Their new friendship was really the bright spot in her week. 

To accommodate all of their new activities, the pair had started meeting half an hour earlier. Akane was getting less sleep but it didn't matter to her as she was learning a lot from Konatsu. More importantly, she was really enjoying spending time with him. It was amazing how easy they were with each other. The kunoichi was understanding and funny, in a very self-deprecating way. He was a great listener and never gave her advice unless she asked for it. She never knew how nice it was just to have someone listen to her.

Her eyes closed and face tilted towards the sun, Akane tried to just enjoy the feel of the warm sun on her face.

"Well, hello there."

Akane started, having not sensed or heard anyone come up on her. With her hand over her chest, she called out, "Konatsu! You scared me!"

The kunoichi put his hands over his face and giggled. "I'm sorry, Akane."

"No, you're not! You were using your stealth techniques to scare me, weren't you?" Akane asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Making his eyes go wide, and putting on a falsely innocent look, he said, "Of course not. I would _never_ do that to you."

Akane continued to glare at the man in front of her but soon broke out in a wide smile. "You're going to have to teach me how you do that."

"Of course, it will be my pleasure." Taking a seat on the bench, he asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Yup. I ditched and am taking a me day," she said unrepentantly.

"And what does a 'me day' entail, exactly?"

"I have no idea. This is my first one. How about you, shouldn't you be at Ucchan's getting it ready for this afternoon?"

"I would be, but Ukyo has something to do this afternoon and told me that I should just take the rest of the day off."

Akane was trying to not think about why Ukyo would need the restaurant closed for the afternoon, but her imagination was getting the better of her. Luckily, she was snapped out of her thoughts by Konatsu.

Clearing his throat, he began hesitantly, "There's something I've been wanting to ask you. Do you think...that you can help me?"

"Of course." Akane said, without waiting to hear what he wanted. "I'll do anything I can to help you, I hope you know that."

Konatsu sighed in relief and gratitude. Akane's generosity and kind spirit was humbling and he was so happy that he had her as a friend. 

"What I have to ask may seem strange." He took a deep breath. "I want you to help make me a man."

Akane's face became red and she sputtered in indignation, "What? What kind of girl do you think I am? I thought that you knew...."

Akane's rant was stopped when Konatsu began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked, now standing in front of him, her hands crossed over her chest, tapping her foot.

"Oh, Akane. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I want you to help me change my appearance to look more like a man."

"Oh," she responded completely flabbergasted at the request which was somehow more shocking than thinking the kunoichi wanted to have sex with her. She sat down slowly next to him, looking concerned. "Why?"

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately and...when Ukyo gets married, I'll probably need to find somewhere else to work, live and....You were right the other day, when you said I wasn't attracted to men. But what type of girl would want me, looking like this?" He waved his hand over his body to emphasize the point.

Akane really wanted to tell him that he would find someone who would love him for who he was but she didn't want to give him false hope. She was sure that once a girl got to know him, they would have no trouble loving him. But the only girls who would notice him dressed like he was were lesbians, which would obviously not work. Instead she tried another tactic.

Putting her hand over his, she squeezed slightly, before saying, "It sounds like you've really thought this out, but I want to make sure you're doing this for you and not anyone else. Are you _positive_ you want to do this?"

Squeezing back slightly, he smiled gently at her and said "I'm sure."

"Okay then, let's go to the mall. You're getting a make-over."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nodoka Saotome was sitting at the table, quietly enjoying some tea. Her husband and his best friend had informed her that they were going out for the afternoon to “train”, which she knew meant they were at some bar somewhere. She generally ignored their antics, figuring men will be men and they were expected to have some vices.

She was alone at the house, since Ranma, Akane and Nabiki were at school and Kasumi had gone to “run an errand,” which was code for paying Dr. Tofu a visit. The older woman smiled at this. She hadn’t told Kasumi that she knew her secret and was glad the nearly twenty year old was finally focused on something other than running the house. It just wasn’t right for a beautiful young woman like her to give up on having a family of her own and Nodoka was hoping to hear of an engagement sometime soon.

It was rare for her to be alone at the house, since it had so many inhabitants, and she was trying to enjoy the peace and quiet but failing miserably. It reminded her of the years she spent living alone while she waited for her husband and son to come home. She had spent too much time living with quiet to truly be able to enjoy it.

What she really wanted were some grandchildren to spoil. She missed the pitter-patter of little feet, the squeal of laughter as it rang through the halls, the innocent happy faces smiling back at you, and the unreserved hugs and kisses. Realistically, she knew she would have to wait a few years. Even if her son and his fiancée got married today, they would be too young to start a family, despite their fathers’ wishes. But she could dream.

Nodoka’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the front door. When she opened it, she was surprised at the visitor.

“Good afternoon, Ukyo. “

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Saotome.”

“If you’re looking for Ranma, he’s in school right now.”

“Actually, I am here to speak to you, if you have a moment.”

“Of course, come on in.” She walked the young girl to the living room. “Please have a seat, I’ll get another cup of tea and I'll be right back.” When she got back, she set down a plate of red-bean mochi, poured a cup of tea for her guest, and refilled her own before asking politely, “So, to what do I owe this pleasure?” 

Giving Nodoka a demure smile, she said, “I just wanted to spend some time with you and get to know you better. After all, you will be my mother-in-law.”

Nodoka’s only response was to give her a smile before picking up and drinking her tea.

Ukyo had gone to the market the other day and had seen Nodoka and Akane out shopping. She followed the two shortly and had watched the way Nodoka treated Akane; almost as if she already considered Akane her daughter-in-law.

It made Ukyo furious! She should have known Akane would have used Ranma’s mother to get closer to him! Everyone knew how much Nodoka meant to him and the blue-haired girl was in the unique position to take advantage of that. Just looking at them, it was obvious that she was sucking up to the woman in hopes that it would sway Ranma’s final decision. That must be why Ranma pushed her away the other day, because Nodoka had been pushing him towards that manipulative bitch.

It all made perfect sense and set Ukyo’s teeth on edge. She wanted to go in there, to confront Akane, but stopped herself. How would it look to Nodoka if she went in swinging, seemingly unprovoked?

So she left and went home to plan. She would show Nodoka exactly who would make the better wife and daughter-in-law. Then she would be the one to win Ranma.

And the plan was working perfectly. She couldn’t afford to have Genma around, he was too adamant about joining the Anything Goes Schools, so she had slipped some free drink coupons in the mail for Soun and Genma to a bar on the other side of town, that could only be used today at a specific time. The morons didn’t even question it and left happily. She lucked out that Kasumi decided to leave but the older passive girl didn't concern her much.

Now she had an entire afternoon to show Nodoka that she was the epitome of Japanese womanhood; polite, demure, submissive, and always willing to put her husband first.

“This is wonderful tea.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

“And the mochi is delicious, did you make it yourself?”

“Yes, I did. If you’d like I can give you the recipe.”

“Thank you, I would appreciate it. I do love to cook and I am quite accomplished at it, if I do say so myself.” 

“That’s a wonderful skill for a young woman to have.”

“I agree. It’ll be so useful once I’m a married woman. Think of all the healthy meals I'll be able to cook for Ranma. I’d love to have you over so I can cook for you.”

“That sounds lovely, we'll have to see how that works with our schedule and get back to you,” Nodoka said genially.

Ukyo’s eyes narrowed slightly but the smile stayed on her face. She was trying very hard to be polite to the woman in front of her but she was making it so difficult! Why was she being so cagey? Wasn’t it obvious that she was the superior fiancée? Why couldn’t people see that?

Maybe it was time to stop playing so coy.

Setting her tea down, Ukyo smiled and said, “Come now, Mrs. Saotome, we both know that I am the best choice for Ranma. So why don’t we get to know each other, it’ll make him happy to see us get along.”

Setting her own cup down, Nodoka looked at the girl, eyebrow raised and asked, “You think you are the best choice? Please, tell me why.”

“Let’s look at his other choices. Kodochi is rich and beautiful, but the entire family is crazy. I doubt you would want to risk your grandchildren inheriting their insanity. Shampoo is beautiful and a skilled warrior, but she’d want to take Ranma to live in some back-water village in China where he will be treated as a second-class citizen. Your _manly_ son deserves better than that.

“And Akane. I know that you probably have some feelings for her, after all, you and your family live in her home. But don’t allow your sense of gratitude to the Tendos cloud you to how unfit she would be for Ranma. She’s not a very good martial artist. They barely get along most the time. She's always hitting him. She will never even be able to make him a decent meal. She would never understand his need to go on an extended training mission. Other than her family’s dojo, she really doesn’t have much to offer. ”

“I see. Aren’t you two friends?”

“Yes, that is why I was being so kind with my assessment," Ukyo said, giving her a sweet smile.

Nodoka made a non-committal sound before adding, “So, why don’t you tell me why you would make a better bride?” 

"First, Ranma and I have known each other since we were children and are friends. Our future together will be financially secure because I already have a thriving business and it will only become more successful with Ranma's help. And since we are the owners, he is free to leave whenever he wants to train. We'd love to have you and Mr. Saotome live with us of course. Ranma finds me attractive, so providing you with grandchildren won't be a problem."

"You make some interesting points."

"I'm glad you think so."

The okonomiyaki chef beamed. She knew if she could present herself in the best possible light, things would work out.

"I do have some questions for you. What would you do if Ranma decided to go on a long training journey?"

"I'd give him my support and wait for him with open arms when he got back."

"And if he wanted to take your young child with him?"

Ukyo tilted her head to the side, not having expected that question, which was very short sighted of her. She gave Nodoka the answer she thought the older woman wanted to hear.

"I'd tell him to be extra careful, to not try any techniques until he read the entire manual, and to write as much as possible."

Nodoka gave her a knowing look and a nod. "I see."

Glad that she had given the correct answer, she asked, "Does that mean I have your support?"

Nodoka gave her a slightly confused look. "I'm sorry, Ukyo, I don't understand. What kind of support would you like me to give you?"

"Well, I'd like for you to tell Ranma that you think I am the best choice for him." Her smile was still bright, but she couldn't believe how obtuse the older lady was. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Ukyo reeled back, shocked. "Why the hell not?" she shouted before she could stop herself.

"Because, that would be a lie. I'm sorry, but I do not think you are the best choice."

"Are you going to tell me why?" Ukyo ground out.

"While I am sure you would make someone a lovely bride and you made very good points for yourself, there are two things that I think that are truly needed to make any relationship work: trust and loyalty.

"I've seen how much Ranma trusts Akane and how loyal she is to him, even though they may not realize it. When Ranma's curse was still a secret, she went to great lengths to help him, even pretending to be the fiancée to some stranger because he asked her to help keep an eye on me. There is a bond between them that I do not think anyone will be able to break or come between."

"Well, that's great for Akane. But what about me? What about my engagement? It’s just as valid as hers! More so since your husband took my dowry while you haven't received anything from the Tendos!" she screamed. 

Ukyo couldn't understand why things were going so badly and how it happened. She thought things were finally going her way!

"I was wondering if you were going to bring that up."

"Of course I'm going to bring that up! Your husband behaved completely dishonorably by taking off with my yatta and not taking me with him. And I see that it's a trait that runs in your family if you can completely disregard what your family owes me." Ukyo's anger was making her careless at what she said to the older woman.

Nodoka's face grew cold and her body stiffened. 

"I am very aware of my husband's actions and what damage it has done to the Saotome name and to my son. But what about your actions?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? You wish to speak to me about honor. Do you think it was honorable to help destroy my house because of a gift I gave to Akane that you thought was an engagement ring? That you were basically trying to steal from her and in the process you destroyed my home. What do you think the value is of the house versus the yatta? Even if we split the cost in thirds, it would be of a greater monetary value than your dowry.

"That is not even counting the emotional costs. You girls ruined the home I stayed in while I waited for my husband and son to come back; the one place we shared as a family. Along with items from Ranma's childhood that I can never replace.

"Or was it honorable to come to my son's wedding with bombs? Destroying the dojo in the process. There were people there that weren't martial artist! What if you hit someone like Kasumi by mistake?"

"What did you expect? For me to just sit back and let that happen?"

"Actually, yes. If you really loved Ranma you would be happy for him if he found someone he loved, regardless of how you felt."

"That's bullshit." Ukyo seethed. "So, that's it. Even if Ranma chose me, you would object."

Nodoka sighed, "No. If Ranma wanted to marry you, I would try to welcome you to the family. The choice is his, regardless of what his father says or wants."

Ukyo, while not happy was slightly mollified by this. The women sat in awkward silence for a few moments with absolutely nothing to discuss before Ukyo took her leave.

All-in-all, Ukyo realized that dressing up like a girl was so not worth it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane and Konatsu had gone to a local discount department store and spent nearly an hour shifting through the sale racks for clothes to try on. Their search would have been quicker but Konatsu had no idea what style of clothing he wanted or what would look good on him. So the duo had grabbed everything that would fit him, and laden with armfuls of items, they had headed to the dressing room. Thankfully, the dressing rooms were unisex and there was no problem trying to sneak the kimono clad kunoichi into a men's dressing area.

Akane was glad she had run into Konatsu who provided the perfect distraction for the afternoon. The man had an amazing ability to take her outside of herself and forget her worries.

Just then a rather bishonen young man came out, dressed in a white linen suit with the sleeves of the jacket rolled up, a salmon colored v-neck underneath, wearing loafers without socks and on his face he had silver framed aviator sun-glasses. He sauntered towards her, his hips swaying and his wrist bent at a ninety degree angle, his hands parallel to the floor, his hair still in a high bouncy pony-tail. He reached her and turned. He ended up posing with both hands angled over his head and his hip jut forward.

It took everything Akane had not to giggle as she realized that this was going take more than just a wardrobe change. She critiqued the clothes as well fitting but not suiting the man.

As he left, Akane said gently, “Can you try tying your hair at the base of your neck instead? It would be a little more masculine.”

Konatsu brought his palm over his mouth and replied, “Of course, I should have realized that!” before he giggled and bounced back into the dressing room.

When he next came out his hair was tied at the base of his neck, wearing a pair of white shorts, a stripped polo, tennis shoes with white tube socks over his ankles, and a sweatband on his forehead. He skipped out with a tennis racket propped on one shoulder. Once he reached her, he bounced on his feet left to right, before taking some swings with his racket before ending posed with the head of the racquet on the ground, his hands joined over the handle, his upper body bent at the waist, his feet next to each other as he stood on the tips of his toes.

“What do you think of this one?”

“That may be a little too sporty for you,” she said diplomatically. The corners of her mouth tugging upwards, she added, “Konatsu, men don’t usually skip.”

He stood up and placed one arm across his chest and the opposite hand tapped his chin.

“They don’t? Why not? It’s so much fun!” he asked her curiously.

Akane shrugged. “I have no idea. But you can still skip when you are dressed as a girl,” she said pacifyingly.

“Oh! That’s right!”

Konatsu bounced up and down excitedly, clapping his hands together before turning around and going back to change.

When he next came out, the kunoichi was wearing a pair of overalls that appeared to be two sizes too big for him with one strap undone, a large T-shirt underneath, yellow rubber soled boots and a cap tipped to one side. This time he came out at a more sedate pace, a pout firmly set on his face, obviously not pleased with his outfit.

Without a word, Akane pointed a finger towards the dressing room and he ran back quickly. After that, the youngest Tendo decided to save her suggestions on behavioral modifications until after they picked out an outfit. She sat back and watched as Konatsu came out in a series of outfits.

Colorful pants that were wide with ample room at the thighs and that tapered at the knee down, paired with a neon workout jacket.

Faded ripped jeans, long sleeve white shirt with a ripped sleeveless flannel shirt over it, and black-fingerless gloves.

Tight jeans, with a tool belt and hard hat.

Black leather motorcycle pants, black leather vest with no shirt and black leather cap.

American army fatigues in green with cap.

Policeman's uniform complete with motorcycle helmet.

Jeans with chaps, fringed leather vest, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots.

And oddly enough, a pair of cut off shorts, American Indian beaded breastplate with full feathered head piece.

Akane realized it may have been a bad idea to pick a department store that had such a large costume section dedicated to Japan’s cosplay community.

In the end, they settled on a pair of blue jeans, a fitted black tee-shirt with black shoes. The simple outfit showed off Konatsu's muscular body perfectly while giving him room to move on the off chance he was attacked. 

Konatsu was glad he ran into Akane in the park, as she was the only person he could trust to help him like this. He had very few friends and he was beginning to truly cherish her friendship. He had always wanted to have such a relationship with his stepsisters.

However, as they walked over to the food court, Konatsu noticed that she looked uneasy. She would occasionally take a glance at him from the corner of her eyes and her face would frown slightly before she put on a neutral mask.

They both ordered milkshakes from WacDonald's and went to sit at a booth. 

"Akane, I wanted to thank you for your help today. I had so much fun."

"Me too," she replied giving him a smile that seemed to lack its normal brilliance.

"If you don't mind, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing’s wrong! I'm fine, really!"

Giving her a slight frown, Konatsu said, "If you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand, but don't feel like you have to lie about it."

Akane sighed before looking up at the kunoichi.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it; it's just that I'm not used to having anyone to talk to about this stuff. My friends Yuka and Sayuri are great, I've known them practically my entire life and they have always been so supportive of me. But their lives are so _normal_ they can't fathom how strange mine is at times. They try to empathize but can't really know what it's like.

"And my sisters just don't understand me. Kasumi, is just too sweet and gentle. She's taken such good care of me but she could never understand my love for martial arts. I know she thinks of me as a 'violent maniac' because of my love of hitting things and breaking bricks. With her personality, I can't blame her for it...but it hurts a little thinking about how little she understands me. I've always looked up to her.

"Nabiki is...." Akane closed her eyes to defend herself from the pain of their most recent encounter. "Nabiki," she finished.

"But lately...even though we haven't known each other very long, I feel really close to you. Like I can talk to you about anything. And I know with the life you've lived, that you can truly understand the craziness that happens in mine."

He gave her a wide smile and squeezed the hand she had lying on the table with his. 

"That's...I mean, I feel the same way about you. But I don't understand, why does that make you sad?"

Akane grimaced, not knowing if what she had to say would offend him.

"Ummm....the thing is... Okay. I know you are a guy. I do. But when you are dressed the way you normally are, I seem to forget and well...I think of you as one of the girls. Like a sister," she blurted out. 

She looked up at him with apologetic eyes and added, "But looking the way you are...I am reminded that you are a _guy_. And well, I ...."

Akane was interrupted when Konatsu grabbed her hand, giving it another squeeze.

"I understand. I do. With your history it must be hard to trust guys. And I'm not offended that you think of me as a girl, since I actually thought I was one until not too long ago. But no matter how I'm dressed, I'm still me. And I will be there for you whenever you need me."

The petite martial artist smiled in appreciation and realized that he was right. His clothing didn't make a difference to who he was on the inside. It was the same with Ranma, he was still him when he was a she. 

Giving him a wide smile and thanking him, she changed the topic to give him pointers on how he needed to behave if he wanted to act like a guy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The young lady strolling through the shopping district was pondering the sad state of her love life. It was so difficult to even have one when you attended an all-girl's school with nary a boy around. But she managed to find a dashing young man who had swept her off her feet, quite literally. She remembered how safe she’d felt in his strong arms. 

_Hohoho_.

She could imagine that he had been equally enraptured with her and had desired to take her first kiss but he was shy, a gentleman who wouldn't consider taking such liberties. So she helped to encourage him until she was rudely interrupted by that harlot...

Just then Kodachi Kuno passed a large window and was distracted by her own magnificent reflection. Her hair in her signature coif; bangs perfectly fluffed and her long glorious hair pulled into a high side ponytail. She frowned a little at her school uniform, even though the outfit hid her beautiful body, she still looked regal; no one else could make such common pieces look this good.

"Hohoho!" Kodachi affected a laugh, her curved hand brought delicately to hover just in front of her mouth.

Yes, that was perfect. She looked perfect.

Lost in the vision of herself, she missed the people giving her a wide berth, to avoid her as she cackled. One mother grabbing the hand of her young son, whispering to him, "Don't make eye contact, honey," as she rushed him away.

After a few more moments of gazing at herself and humming a delightful tune, Kodachi decided she wanted to rid herself of her confining clothes, the symbol of her oppressive struggles with love. Pulling at her uniform, it ripped easily off her body, displaying her signature green and white leotard. Letting out another gleeful laugh, she stood on her toes, her body stretched perfectly, her head tilted back and her gymnastics ribbon forming a perfect spiral behind her. She leapt away, leaving a trail of black rose pedals in her wake.

She sprung lightly along to a rhythm only she could hear. She slowed when she reached the food court and stopped completely in her tracks when she spotted that wicked girl who took her love's attention away. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that the temptress was not alone, oh no, she was with another man!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane had spent the last half hour trying to explain the difference between how men and women acted. It wasn't an easy thing for her to do since she really never gave it much thought. After the first five minutes, she decided that observing different groups was the easiest way to point out the differences in the behavior of the sexes.

They started by watching a group of girls, Akane pointing out how they walked, their hips swaying a little. How they interacted with each other, leaning in and whispering, giggling behind their hands. How they interacted with the other sex, flipping their hair over their shoulder and batting their eyes. 

They switched to a group of guys next. She pointed out how they walked with their shoulders back, feet parallel to each other so their hips didn't sway. They interacted differently with each other than the girls, giving each other slaps and punches while they laughed. Laughed, never giggled. Finally, they watched as the boys tried to hit on the girls, puffing out their chest, winking at them, and giving each other nudges in the ribs as they egged their members forward.

Konatsu was fascinated as he watched the two groups interact with each other. Flirting as a man seemed completely opposite to flirting as a girl. Women were coy and soft whereas men seemed to be loud and boisterous. To be honest, it was a bit intimidating and he had no idea if he would be able to pull it off. 

But he rallied, telling himself that it was training and he would be a better ninja because of it. He watched them while he sat at the table and moved his shoulders the way the boys did, trying to figure out how to incorporate their movements with his. 

Turning back to Akane he said, "Excuse me while I use the little girl's room."

Placing a hand on his wrist, she said firmly, "You mean the men's room. You do _not_ want to go through the wrong door dressed like that."

Trying to suppress his blush, he said, "Right. The men's room."

Akane watched as he walked away, wincing slightly as she saw his hips had begun to sway before he corrected himself. Then she moaned and rubbed her face as she saw he practically stomped away, arms bowed to the side, swinging as he walked, clearly trying for what he thought would be a manly strut. 

Kodachi watched as that conniving girl held the hand of another man. It was a shame that her Ranma would be forced to marry a woman who had such loose morals. However, she could not blame the girl, the man was almost as attractive as her love. He was tall, lean, and very handsome, even if his features leaned towards the feminine. 

She would be more than happy to tell her beloved of the vixen's betrayal and bask in his gratitude. Once he knew he was free from her clutches she was sure he would declare his love and undying devotion to her right then and there. And if she could lure the other man away, then Ranma would surely see that she was the most desirable woman. He would be so grateful to her for helping him be rid of the male _and_ his unfortunate fiancée, he would propose immediately. 

Yes, she thought with a gay laugh, that was a perfect plan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane's head shot up and she looked around as she heard a very familiar, very annoying laugh. She sighed, resigned to the inevitable stupidity that would undoubtedly accompany the gymnast when she showed up. She vaguely wondered if she would be attacked by a bokken, clubs, or mallet. It was a tossup when it came to that loon.

_But at least I'm never bored,_ she though dryly before adding, _and my day was getting so much better._

Looking over, she noticed that Konatsu was making his way back and she wondered if they had time to leave before they were noticed. 

Just then, Kodachi seemed to leap out of nowhere, but strangely enough started to sashay herself towards the kunoichi, pretending not to notice the man by looking at the ceiling. Just as Konatsu was going to walk past her, the gymnast tripped over thin air, falling face first - chest first if you were being technical - onto the man. 

With his quick reflexes, he wrapped his arms around her and helped her to her feet.

"Excuse..." Konatsu cleared his throat and brought his voice down an octave lower than he was used to, "Excuse me, miss. I didn't see you there."

Batting her eyelashes at him and laughing, she said, "That's quite alright. I'm just so lucky to have been caught by such a strong man." She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and gave him a wide smile, batting her lashes some more.

Picking up all the visual cues, Konatsu remembered what the elder Kuno sibling tried to do when he flirted. He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles, saying, "It was my pleasure."

Kodachi beamed at this, surprised that any man seen with that harlot would have such good manners. She stared into eyes that were such a deep brown that she thought she was looking into pools of dark chocolate and she felt her heart flutter a little. This man truly was gorgeous.

"How rude of me, let me introduce myself. My name is Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose of St. Bacchus School for girls. Maybe you've heard of me."

Konatsu smiled, of course he heard of her, he knew exactly who she was the moment she laughed. 

"Yes, I have. Your skills in rhythmic gymnastics are renowned. My name is Kon...just Kon."

He gave her a low bow and was about to walk away when she next spoke.

"It's nice to meet you, Kon. Maybe you would like to walk me home, it's getting _awfully_ late."

Giving her another bow and a wink, he offered her his arm. 

The duo was too far away for Akane to hear their conversation, but it was obvious that they were flirting with each other!

Of all the people for Konatsu to practice on, the gymnast was the last girl she would have picked. Her jaw dropped as she saw Kodachi put her hand in the crook of his elbow and lead them away. They had gone a few steps before the other girl looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Akane, a triumphant smile on her face. A moment later, with his free hand, Konatsu gave her a thumbs up behind his back.

She had no idea if he knew what he was getting himself into but she was sure he could handle himself. Shrugging her shoulders, she picked up Konatsu's bag and headed back to the department store to buy the kunoichi the glasses he liked so much but couldn't afford. The man deserved at least that much for having to deal with both Kunos.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I know there was no Ranma in this chapter but with everything going on, I couldn't fit him.

The idea that Ukyo would appeal to Nodoka about the engagement has been done before. **Luna12** addresses it in her story **"Of Loss, Life, & Love"**, which is where I got the inspiration for my scene, although our outcomes are very different. It's a great story, so check it out.

As always, a big thanks to **PepperonyOwl and alwaysZutarian** for their help.

Original Publication Date: July 24, 2014

Revised: May 11, 2015


	8. Arc II: Chain Reactions, Chapter: The Truth Comes Out

As he glanced to the spot next to him, he drummed his fingers on his desk, his right leg twitching up and down. Ranma was worried. He had walked into the classroom after the bell rang and sat down, impatiently waiting for his fiancée to show up, but she never did. She hadn't spoken to him or left him a note telling him where she went before she left and he had no idea where she was or if she was okay. He desperately wanted to leave to look for her to make sure she was alright. 

But he had made a promise to his mother that he would attend his classes and at least _try_ to learn something. She was not happy with all his absences to date and was concerned he wouldn't graduate if he didn't start applying himself. Now he was stuck there, wondering what happened to Akane.

As much as he hated the idea of Akane being sick, he hoped that was all there was to it. With their luck, she could have been kidnapped by aliens. He had only truly become concerned when he noticed that Ukyo had also disappeared after lunch. He hoped that the okonomiyaki chef hadn't challenged Akane to a fight. Akane could take care of herself, but in a fight with Ukyo she would be in trouble. In terms of skill level he was sure that they were evenly matched, with the edge going to Akane if she could get the giant spatula away from the other girl. The problem was his blue-haired fiancée would never go all out on Ukyo and he was afraid the okonomiyaki chef would take things too far. He clenched his hands at the thought.

_She had better not_ , he thought grimly.

If anything, and he meant _anything_ happened to Akane, he would make sure that Ukyo would regret it. No one would hurt Akane, friend or not.

Ranma shook himself free of those thoughts, surprised at his own vehemence. While he was not exactly on speaking terms with Ukyo, they were still friends and he couldn't believe where his mind had strayed. Especially when he had no proof the two were together, much less fighting.

_This is going to be a very long afternoon_ , he thought as he slumped in his chair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sitting on a small blanket placed on the grass, Nabiki Tendo stared straight ahead of her, her sister's words reverberating through her mind.

_Mother would be ashamed of you._

She had tossed and turned over those words all night as the confrontation with her younger sister replayed itself. She would like to say that she didn't mean to hurt her sister, but that would be a lie. She had gone into Akane's room last night with the expressed purpose of hurting her younger sister and she knew it. She had even taken some perverse enjoyment in seeing her in distress, intentionally pushing her for a reaction.

She cringed at the thought. Since when was she so far gone as to actually enjoy her sister’s pain?

She never thought that she would see her sister break like that. Despite what most people thought, her sister was controlled in her actions, especially when it came to her family. Nabiki knew this first hand, having pushed Akane more than she would have pushed anyone else in her life.

She sat on the lonely patch of grass, as she reviewed her actions over the last few years, and was not happy with what she found. When she was actually executing her little schemes, they didn't seem that bad. But when she looked at them as a whole, she realized they weren't as harmless as she thought.

She knew she was a lot of things:

Materialistic? Sure, who didn't like nice stuff? 

Opportunistic? Of course, it just made her smart to make the best of a situation. 

Manipulative? Absolutely.

But none of that meant she didn't love her family. In fact, the opposite was true; she loved her family very much. Regardless of what she did, they accepted her. They supported her when life got hard. They would be there to laugh with her when times were good. They would celebrate with her over her accomplishments. They had their faults, but they would always be there for her. 

Her mother taught her that. 

So yeah, she took advantage of that knowledge and behaved exactly how she wanted, regardless of whom it hurt. Especially if that person was Akane, because she certainly wasn't scared of her sister. Nabiki knew that some people considered her sister to be violent but that really wasn't the case. She had a fierce temper, but once she blew up at someone, the perpetrator was almost immediately forgiven and their transgressions forgotten. Akane would never hit someone who wasn't a martial artist and she certainly wouldn't hit one of her sisters, regardless of what they did to her. Nabiki knew all of that - since she probably knew her little sister better than anyone else - and continued to behave the way she wanted since there were no real consequences to her actions. 

But she took it too far. She could see that now. She would just have to go and explain everything to her sister, no matter how painful it would be.

Standing up, Nabiki carefully folded her blanket and walked forward. She ran her hand over the black marble headstone and leaned down to the base to fix the flowers she had brought with her that day.

She whispered, "Bye, Mom. I miss you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

School was FINALLY over! He’d been watching that damn clock since lunch ended and was about to tear his hair out. That last minute seemed to take hours, and at one point, he swore the clock ticked backwards! It was maddening. But when the bell rang, Ranma moved so quickly towards the window - almost forgetting his bag – you could have sworn he saw a cat in the room.

He was sure that there was nothing to worry about but he wasn’t willing to take the chance that something happened to Akane. Running down the street, he once again went through a list of all the possible catastrophes that could have befallen his fiancée.

She could simply have felt ill and gone home.

Ukyo could have challenged her and she could be lying somewhere hurt.

She could have been kidnapped. Again.

He still hadn’t ruled out the possibility of alien abduction.

And no, he did _not_ think he was overreacting. With all the odd things that happened to them, aliens seemed like the next logical…

“ARGH!!!” Ranma screamed in a much higher pitch than he would have a minute ago. He wasn’t watching where he was going and got splashed by the old ladle lady.

_What is it with her? Did she just wait there all day for me to run by? Does she get her kicks from watching me transform and then act all innocent, like she didn't assault people with water on a regular basis? She’s just so sneaky! Silent like a ninja...That's it! All those surprise attacks, her perfect aim and near silence when she moves. She must have been trained in ninjitsu when she was younger. That explained everything!_

Ranma was saved from further thoughts when the gates of the Tendo home came into view. Speeding up, he rushed into the house, barely stopping to take off his shoes and went directly into the kitchen, knowing that either his mother or Kasumi were likely to be in there.

"Hey, Mom. Is Akane here?"

"No, she hasn't come home from school yet. She isn't with you?"

"Umm. No, I must have missed her when she left class," he lied, not wanting to get the girl in trouble. "I'm...Uhh…I'll be back."

Ranma ran upstairs and checked in Akane's room, just in case she came home and fell asleep before his mother noticed. When he saw the room was empty, he ran straight outside, intending to run to Ucchan's, since he had no other leads where she could have gone. Part of him hoped that his two fiancées didn’t get into a fight and part of him hoped they did. If she wasn't with Ukyo, he had no idea where he would look!

Feeling slightly frantic, he ran through the gates and sighed with relief when he saw Akane walking towards the house, a smile on her face. Not bothering to slow down, he ran straight for her, stopping when he was only inches in front of her, causing her to yelp and lurch backwards slightly.

"Ranma!" Akane squeaked, surprised at his sudden appearance.

The pig-tailed boy pulled her towards him and gave her a short but rather intense hug before he stepped back, grabbed her hands and looked at the knuckles. He checked them for any signs that she had been in a fight before he turned them around to look at her palms to see if there was any damage. Not finding anything, he ran his eyes over her body, checking for any rips or other damage to her clothing. Eyebrows creased, he pressed one hand over her forehead and the other over his own, to check for a fever. When he was unable to detect a temperature difference between them, he moved one hand down and the other up so that he cupped both of her cheeks and looked into her eyes to check for any signs of a concussion.

Akane had been walking home when Ranma jumped out of nowhere and started behaving so oddly! First the hug, which was nice but so short she couldn't fully enjoy it. Then he had grabbed her hands - and not in the romantic way! - before examining them. After that, he pressed his hand to her forehead to check her temperature. And finally, he stared into her eyes. He had caressed her face and stared into her eyes. Even though there was nothing romantic about his actions, she felt her face turn red, torn between frustration and worry.

Why was it that Ranma was always a female when he touched her?

"Ranma?" she asked concerned, "Are you feeling okay?"

The question seemed to shake Ranma out of his tunnel vision. Having realized that Akane was in fact fine, he felt relief rush through him quickly followed by anger. He couldn’t believe that she made him worry like that!

“What the hell, Akane!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "You can’t just disappear like that! You weren’t home and you didn’t tell me where you went!"

She reared back at his sudden anger. It got her hackles up and in return made her defensive, which turned to indignation when she thought he was once again trying to tell her what to do.

“I thought we already went over this! You aren’t allowed to tell me…”

“That’s not it! This is different! I’m not telling you that you can’t go do whatever it is you were doing! I’m not trying to stop you. I’m telling you that you need to tell me or someone else where you are!”

She took a glance at his face and noticed how agitated he looked, and then it hit her; he was worried for her.

“Fine! Next time I’ll let you know if I decide to play hooky!” she conceded louder than she intended. He may have had a point, but she still hated being wrong.

“No! You listen…wait. What?” He asked, putting his finger to his ear and moving it up and down to make sure he had heard correctly.

Rolling her eyes, Akane said, "I said you’re right, I should have told someone where I was. But it's a two way street, Ranma! You want me to tell you where I'm going, then you have to tell me where you're going!"

"Feh. Why would I need to tell you where I'm going? I can take care of myself!"

Akane's eyes narrow and she crossed her arms, "What are you implying?"

"Well, duh, Akane. You..." Ranma looked up and saw the vein that was beginning to throb on her forehead and the way her jaw clenched. He coughed into his hand to buy himself some time. "Nothing. I wasn't implying anything. From now on, when I go somewhere I will let you or someone else know. Happy?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"So...what'dja do today?"

"Nothing much. I went to the park."

"Really? Did the park grow some shops since I was there last?" Ranma said, nodding to the shopping bag she was still carrying.

She hadn't been trying to lie or hide anything, she just didn't know if Konatsu wanted her to tell anyone about his desire to look more like a man. But, she thought, it wasn't exactly a secret and she really didn't think he would mind if she told Ranma.

They walked back to the house together, Akane telling Ranma all about her last two encounters with Konatsu at the park.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane sat at her desk, smiling as she attempted to do her homework and failed miserably. She was in such a good mood, which was strange considering how her day had started. But after their little encounter this afternoon, she had spent the rest of the afternoon with Ranma, doing nothing really.

She started by telling Ranma about her ice-cream outing with Konatsu and pretended not to notice that Ranma stiffened at the fact that she was out with another guy. His jealousy was really cute sometimes. As she expected, he found the kunoichi's antics hilarious and almost spit out his tea when she told him about Konatsu's date with Kuno. She had no explanations on why he had left with Kodachi, since she had missed their entire conversation.

Ranma had then told her about his theory that the old ladle lady - as he dubbed her - had a secret life as a ninja, which caused Akane to laugh outright. She had no idea how he could think that sweet and gentle Mrs. Uzumaki was a retired kunoichi.

After that, they spent a rare and quiet afternoon watching _Enter the Dragon_ on TV. It was, all in all, pretty nice. But the fact that Ranma still hadn't told her about his date with Ukyo had been at the back of her mind the entire time.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

She turned around and was surprised to see Nabiki walk in. She had not come home for dinner that night, but that was nothing new. She kept her own hours and no one really bothered her about where she went.

Akane felt a little ashamed at the way she acted, but didn’t regret what she had said. She carefully schooled her face into a neutral expression and waited. When Nabiki came in and stood there without saying anything, she knew she had to break the silence.

"Can I help you?" Akane asked coolly.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Nabiki began, “I wanted to talk to you and apologize. You were right about everything you said yesterday. I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have treated you that way."

Akane stared, her mouth agape; her older sister apologizing was the last thing she expected.

Going over to sit on the bed, Nabiki brought her feet up to sit lotus style.

"I want to tell you something I haven't told anyone about. If you remember, I wasn't always like this. When I got to high school, I was so excited. Kasumi was still in school and let me tell you, everyone loved her. She was the perfect student; always on time, always did her work, and always polite. I lived in her shadow a bit, but it wasn't anything really big. Boys thought she was pretty and the girls all thought she was nice, how could they not? She was popular but not overly so, since she was always rushing home to help with the house.

"Me, I was just another freshman girl. I worked hard and had some friends and a few guys showed interest in me, but I was never really popular. I didn’t mind though, since I knew that would come with time as all the most popular girls were older.

“Then, when you came to school the next year, everything changed. It started out small, I would hear your name mentioned randomly in the hall. Or my friends would tell me a new piece of gossip about some guy who had a crush on you. Not a single girl in my grade made a splash at school the way you did. It was like you came in and suddenly everything revolved around you. I really tried to not let it get to me and I thought it didn't.

"But there was this guy in my grade who never paid attention to me and who I thought was really cute. I had a crush on him all freshman year. One day, he walked up to me and I was so excited, I couldn't believe he had finally noticed me! But after some small talk, all he wanted was to ask about you. I was so embarrassed and upset. I don’t know what possessed me to say it, but I told him that he'd have to give me 1000 yen if he wanted any answers. I was joking, but then he pulled out his wallet and handed me the money. 

“I guess word spread and other boys would come to buy information from me about you. But then they started asking questions about other people I knew. You know how nosy I am, I had all the gossip and it was so easy to figure out what was real and what was false. Suddenly I felt really popular, and I won't lie, having the extra spending money was nice."

Nabiki closed her eyes and took another deep breath before continuing.

“One day, Kuno came up and asked me about you. Apparently he thought you were cute and wanted to know more; it happened so often that I didn't think it was a big deal. I told him about your love for martial arts and how you were practically a prodigy. I didn’t know that he had already asked you out and that you said no. When he suddenly asked me for pictures I thought he was crazy and I told him so. He then told me he didn’t want anything risqué, he just wanted pictures for his wallet. He seemed particularly interested in ones where you were working out. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I took some pictures and sold them to him.

“Once Kuno made that stupid announcement, I felt bad for you. But I knew you would be able to handle yourself. We started talking at lunch and I told my friends that there was no way you’d lose to any of the guys at school. They thought I was being biased because I was your sister. When I told them that you had won tournaments, they didn't believe me. Someone said, ‘put your money where your mouth is’, and I did. It was a friendly bet and easy money. When more and more guys showed up, the bets continued, no one thought you would be able to hold them off. And I will admit, I never thought of doing anything to stop it.

“I didn't even realize how bitter and angry I was becoming and that I blamed everything on you. I was the older sister, but no one ever saw me when you got there. No one ever bothered to talk to me about me; they only wanted to know about you. I hated it. And I hated you for it. At some point, I think I wanted you to be as miserable as I was. I’m ashamed to admit that part of me was glad that you were having a hard time because things seemed to come so easy for you.”

Nabiki paused for a second, taking a deep breath, before she continued. “I’m sorry. There’s no excuse for what I did. I hope that you can forgive me.”

There was a lull of silence as Akane processed the apology and the new information. It was a lot for her to take in. She had never guessed any of those things were happening at school or that her sister was feeling slighted in any way. She had always seemed so sure of herself and acted like nothing fazed her. However, it did explain why her sister had become increasingly cold and distant over the past few years. One thing came through clearly during Nabiki's story, her sincere regret and sadness, made more evident compared with her normally stoic demeanor. 

“Of course I forgive you, you’re my sister.” Akane walked over and put her arms around Nabiki, hugging her. The blue-haired girl was never one to hold a grudge - even against people who would be considered her enemies - so forgiving her sister for her behavior was only natural. “I never knew you felt like that and I wish we could have talked about it. To be honest, I’ve always admired you.”

Nabiki looked up in surprise. “Me? Why?”

“Come on, you’re beautiful, smart, poised, independent and you’re so in control of your emotions, unlike me.” Akane released Nabiki from her hug, but kept an arm around her shoulders as she sat down next to her. “You know, I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Nabiki smiled, relieved. Slipping on her mask of indifference, she smirked and crossed her arms. “I’m glad that we had this conversation, but it stays between you and me. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” She winked at her sister before a genuine smile graced her face.

"I promise though, no more selling pictures of you or Ranma and no more blackmailing either of you."

"And no more taking my stuff without asking?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I will continue to do that. But I will _try_ to remember to return things to you. And..."

Akane looked over and her eyebrow shot up when she saw her sister looking nervous.

"And?"

Knowing that what she was about to say would be the hardest part, she took a deep breath before looking her sister in the eye.  


"Yesterday, when I told you about Ranma and Ukyo's date? I wasn't exactly truthful."

"You lied to me?"

"No, I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you the whole truth. Ranma was at Ucchan's, but when he left, he looked angry. And Ukyo did have the top of her dress undone, but when she came to the door, she also looked upset. I don't know what went on yesterday, but it really didn't look like anything happened, despite what I implied."

Akane just stared at her sister as she realized that all her worrying was for naught since Nabiki had purposefully misled her to believe that Ukyo and Ranma had slept together. She should have been furious at her sister, but instead she was elated that nothing had happened. It was as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders and she felt lighter than she had all day.

But she also felt like an idiot. She had gotten so worked up over nothing and so much pain could have been avoided if she had only waited for Ranma to explain himself. And when she thought about it, most of the misunderstandings between her and Ranma would never have happened if she had listened to him before jumping to conclusions. 

At that moment, she made a vow to herself to always listen to what Ranma had to say about a situation before assuming the worst because she would never know if someone was trying to deceive her or if there was an honest misunderstanding between them.

"I'm sorry. There really is nothing I can say to excuse what I did." 

"There is something I don't understand though, why did you lie to me yesterday?"

_Is she blushing?_ Akane thought as she stared at her sister.

"I got mad at you when I saw you with Taro yesterday."

"But why? I told you that nothing happened."

"I believe you. But it didn't look that way at the time."

"Even if it looked like something was going on, why would you be so mad? I'm sure you weren't upset for Ranma's sake. Unless..."

Akane's eyes widened as it dawned on her and the look on Nabiki's suddenly red face confirmed her suspicions.

"You _like_ Taro, don't you? How? I mean, I didn't even know you knew him."

"Yes, I like him. And no, I don't really know him. I've only really met him once."

"Then why did you get so mad?"

"We didn't talk very long, but there's just something about him. He's the first guy in a long time that I've been attracted to and I thought I had a chance with him. When I saw you two together..." Nabiki looked Akane in the eye, "He was the straw that broke the camel's back."  


Akane nodded in understanding, she knew from personal experience that everyone had a breaking point.

"I do have one other question. That guy that you liked, he wasn't...Kuno, was he?"

"What? No! I mean Kuno's handsome and rich, but completely obnoxious, not to mention an idiot."

Akane stood up and walked to the door with a smile on her face as she motioned her sister to come with her.

"Where are we going?"

"To your room. I'm taking my stuff back while I can," Akane said with a grin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was early Saturday morning and Akane was getting dressed in her room. She had already had her morning run with Konatsu and they had spent more time than usual gossiping - Konatsu telling her all about the impromptu dinner date he had with Kodachi. Akane had barely been able to contain her mirth when he told her of his plans to date both Kunos. Akane had protested, having already dealt with the siblings and not wanting her new friend to deal with their insanity. However, he felt that he owed Ranma for helping him escape his step-mother and this was a small way to be able to pay both of them back. Akane relented when he looked pleased to be taking on the pair.

They spent some time training, focused on Akane learning some ninjitsu. She was getting better at using shuriken, hitting her targets ninety percent of the time. She had a harder time with nunchucks - she kept hitting herself accidentally – and was reminded of her time training in rhythmic gymnastics. Her stealth skills were also improving as it took Konatsu a little while now to find her after she found places from which to spy on him. It was her favorite training activity, which they had basically turned into a game of hide and seek.

Akane looked into the mirror and smiled. The dress she was wearing was one of her favorites and she had been looking for it everywhere, only to have found it in Nabiki's closet the previous night. It was a simple white sundress with small ruffles on the wide straps and a large sea green ribbon that wrapped around her waist and tied into a large bow in the back. She had a large brimmed sun hat with coral trim to go with it, but had opted to not wear it for her day out with Sayuri and Yuka. She had decided to only put some lip-gloss on today, not wanting to deal with make-up. While it was fun, she just couldn't get used to wearing it every day.

After Nabiki's confession last night, the two had spent the rest of the night in her room, Akane getting her things back but more importantly spending time together. With the invisible wall between them down, the two sisters talked and joked around. For the first time in years, they actually enjoyed spending time together. This made Akane happier this morning than she had been in a long time. 

The only worry she now had was that Ranma had still not told her about his date with Ukyo. But after her meltdown yesterday, she was determined to not overreact about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma was already sitting at the breakfast table with the entire family, minus Akane. His mother and Kasumi were putting out breakfast as they waited on the last member of the household to join them. He and his father already had their morning spar, though he was thankful that he was no longer thrown unceremoniously out the window as a wakeup call. His mother had been so frightened the first day it happened, she screamed and grabbed the Saotome Honor Blade before she realized the attack was one of Genma's strange ideas of a training technique. She had told Genma quite firmly that he had to find another way to wake up their son. Now they simply walked down to the pond and sparred; Ranma beating his father easily.

He loved Saturdays when he had no school and had nothing planned for the day. He was hoping to convince Akane to spend the day with him. He really didn't care what they did, he just missed her. They had spent the afternoon together yesterday, but that didn't feel like enough since they had barely seen each other this week. They rarely spent this much time apart unless he was on some weird mission. Even then, when he should have been focused on the task at hand, his thoughts always strayed back to her.

Just then he looked up and he felt his heart speed up as Akane walked into the room, a smile on her face. She looked...cute wasn't the word. She was beautiful in her white dress. It wasn't just that the dress fit her perfectly - because it did - it was that the dress was so _her_. It was simple and feminine. Despite calling her a tomboy all the time, he knew that she had a fondness for wearing girly dresses that were feminine without being obnoxious, like that ding-bat Azuza Shiatori. The dress seemed to move with her and he swore she floated into the room. His eyes followed her as she came to sit next to him. 

She greeted the entire table before she turned to give him a shy smile and it was then that he noticed her face was free of make-up, just the way he liked it. She looked beautiful with make-up on, but there was something so carefree and casual about her without make-up. He couldn't pin it down, he just knew what he preferred and he was staring at it.

Ranma's reaction did not go unnoticed. Nodoka and Kasumi gave each other knowing looks before resuming their demure postures. Nabiki gave him a smirk before pretending to look bored, and their fathers seemed ecstatic, elbowing each other in the ribs, raising their eyebrows at each other while jerking their heads non-subtly at the pair. 

When Soun announced it was time to eat and the family started their meal, the women ate at their normal sedate pace and Genma tried to inhale everything in front of him. But Soun and Ranma were behaving unusually. Soun normally hid behind his morning paper, all but ignoring the family, but today he was eyeing his future-son-in-law with a pleased expression. After all this time, it looked as if the boy was finally showing interest in his little girl.

Ranma, no longer having to fight his father for food, was eating at an almost normal pace as he stole glances at the girl sitting on his right. At one point, as he reached down to put some rice in his mouth, his eyes had been diverted and the portion of rice hit his cheek before he realized what was happening. Embarrassed, his face became red and he brought his gaze down to his bowl and shoveled in a mouth full of food to distract himself.

"Ranma, don't you think Akane looks good today?"

Said boy looked up to see Soun smiling at him knowingly and he choked slightly on his food at being suddenly addressed. Swallowing his food, he reached out to take a sip of his tea to buy himself some time.

He wanted to say yes, she looked amazing; he'd never seen her look prettier. But he couldn't say that. Despite Soun's proclamation that there would be no wedding until all other relationship issues were resolved, their fathers probably still had a priest on stand-by. He swallowed his tea and said what he thought he needed to.

"Yeah, she looks nice...I guess. But if she doesn't figure out how to look sexy, she'll never find herself a husband."

All sound seemed to be sucked out of the room as everyone went quiet. Even Genma had stopped eating, his chopsticks hovered in front of his mouth as it stood agape and his eyes wide with surprise. Ranma shoveled some more food in his mouth and tried to act like nothing was wrong but his breakfast had suddenly lost all flavor. He chewed on the food and forced it down his throat as he felt Akane flinch and stiffen beside him.

A few moments later - that felt like decades - the room exploded with noise as Soun's head grew to twenty times its normal size, his forked tipped tongue flicked out, as he screamed, "How dare you speak about my Akane that way!"

While his father screamed, "Boy! That's your fiancée!"

Whatever Genma was going to say was cut off as Ranma threw a glass of water at him while Soun's head deflated and spun around the room after Kasumi pulled the cork out of the back, sighing quietly, "Oh, Father."

Once Soun's head regained its normal shape and size, he sat there, tears streaming out of his eyes, as he leaned on the wet panda for support. 

"Saotome, the schools will never be joined!"

No one bothered to turn Genma back into his normal form and the four ladies continued their breakfast, choosing not to comment on the commotion. 

Ranma sat eating his food, resolutely looking at his bowl. He knew his mother would be disappointed in him and didn't want to meet her eyes. He couldn't stand to see the hurt that was sure to be on Akane's face. A few minutes later, his fiancée broke the silence.

"Thank you for breakfast, Aunty and Kasumi, it was wonderful."

Without waiting for a response, she left the table and headed to her room. Ranma felt even worse when he saw that she had barely eaten anything.

"I'm done too, thanks," Nabiki announced as she left shortly after her sister.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lying on the bed, Akane stared at the ceiling, her good mood dampened. At this point she should have been used to the comments and insults from her fiancé, but she’d be lying if she said they didn’t hurt.

After the rather rude, and frankly uncalled for comment, Nabiki had caught her eye from across the table and silently motioned for them to meet upstairs. She had plenty of time before she had to leave to meet her friends and had lost her appetite, so she headed to her room to wait for her sister.

She blew her bangs out of her eyes just as Nabiki came into her room with a small pile of clothes in one arm and a make-up bag in the other.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Akane asked, “What’s all that? I thought you gave back everything last night?”

“I did. These are mine. Get up, you’re changing.”

Sitting up quickly, Akane glared at her middle sister.

“Why? I like this dress.”

Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, she said, “Yes, I know. Now get up.” When her younger sister remained motionless, she added, “I’m going to help you.”

“Help me do what? I don’t understand.”

Nabiki sighed at her sister’s obtuseness. Speaking slowly, she said, “You’re going to teach Ranma a lesson on watching his mouth before he speaks and I’m going to help you.”

She emphasized the point by putting her bundles on the desk and picking up an article of clothing and waving it in front of her sister’s face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Breakfast having been long over, Ranma was still sitting at the dining room table eating. His mother had gone upstairs shortly after Akane and Nabiki had left and come back down with a smile on her face. He had wondered about the switch in her mood, since she was clearly still upset at him when she left the table, but was happy to see she was no longer mad at him.

After everything was cleared from the table, she surprised him with a plate of red bean mochi and tea, asking him to sit with her for a while. Not one to turn down dessert – even after a full breakfast – Ranma gladly dug in. He was on his third pastry when he heard someone come down the stairs.

“Akane dear, is that you?” his mother called out.

“Yes, Aunty, I was just leaving.”

Ranma frowned as his plans to hang out with Akane for the day went out the window. He knew she would have gotten over being angry with him soon enough and he could’ve convinced her to spend time with him.

“Wonderful, would you mind doing me a favor?” Nodoka asked sweetly.

“Of course she wouldn’t, Aunty.”

Apparently Nabiki was with her younger sister in the entry way.

“N-no, of course not.”

Ranma had just taken another bite when Akane walked in and he choked on his food when he saw her.

She had on a white halter top that dipped low in the front and ended just below her belly button, her distressed blue jeans were slung low at her hips combined with a wide brown leather belt, leaving an inch of her milky skin on display. When she walked her shirt moved up slightly giving him more tempting glimpses of her flat stomach. The entire thing may as well have been painted on her body, it fit so snuggly. When his gaze finally left her form, it traveled to her face and his eyes widened in surprise. Her lids were heavily lined in black, her eyelashes seemed to have grown, they were so thick and long they seemed to rest on her cheeks when she blinked, and her lips were painted a deep red.

When Ranma seemed to turn purple, Nodoka decided to help him out and slapped him on his back, with a little more force than was necessary. Her gaze went back to her future daughter-in-law.

Akane couldn't help but notice the way Ranma was staring at her and it took all her willpower to not fidget and pull her shirt down. Besides, with how low cut her shirt was in the front, she was worried her breasts would pop out if she tugged on the bottom. Instead she decided to focus on his mother and hoped her cheeks weren't bright red in embarrassment.

"Aunty, what did you need my help with?"

"Could you stop by the store on the way home for me? I just need a little black thread and was hoping you could save me a trip."

"Of course I will."

"Wonderful, here is some money," Nodoka said as she pulled a coin bag out of her kimono sleeves. She counted out 300 yen worth of coins and leaned over the table slightly, her hand stretched out. Akane leaned over the table to retrieve the coins just as Nodoka dropped them on the table. 

"Oops, how clumsy of me."

Giving the older woman a small smile, Akane said, "It's okay, I've got them," before she leaned down to pick up all the coins.

Bent over like that, her cleavage was in Ranma's direct line of sight. His eyes went even wider and his mouth went dry as he saw her breasts sway slightly with each movement.

"I'll be back for dinner. Have a nice day, Aunty."

Akane turned and headed towards the front door, and Ranma watched her as she walked away. Her tight jeans emphasized the curve of her hips and showed off her round, firm bottom. Her shirt left very little to the imagination; it started just below her shoulder blades, had an inch of material round the back of her neck and ended a couple of inches above her jeans. With her short hair, he could see every inch of the smooth creamy skin of her upper back. He never thought a back could be so sexy. His eyes remained focused on the empty hallway until he heard the front door open and close. Finally broken free from his trance, he noticed Nabiki was leaning against the wall, smirking at him.

"Did you like Akane's new outfit, Ranma?"

She left the room, not bothering to wait for a response.

"Actually, I think Akane looked very nice, don't you?"

When Ranma just nodded dumbly at his mother, she smiled behind her tea cup.

When Nodoka had gone upstairs earlier to check on Akane, she walked by her room and overheard the two sisters talking as the door wasn’t completely closed.

_"Nabiki, I can't go around dressed like this!"_

_"Of course you can, you aren't being indecent and I think you look good."_

_"Thanks for your help, but I don't think this is going to work."_

_"Of course it will, trust me on this. Ranma's never gonna learn to shut his mouth if you don't teach him a lesson. I'm not asking you to prance around in front of him, flaunting yourself. Just go out shopping with your friends and if he catches a glimpse of you, then all the better."_

Nodoka had left then, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping. Understanding Nabiki's plan, she decided she would just have to help out. She headed for the guest room to get her coin purse and went downstairs, determined to keep Ranma at the table for as long as she could.

"Hmm. You don't think Akane would get too much unwanted attention though, do you? She is such an attractive girl, after all. But I'm sure she can take care of herself," she said offhandedly.

Taking another sip of her tea, she reached for a piece of mochi, and counted down in her head:

Three

Two

One

"Thanks for the food, Mom. I'm going to ummm...go..." Ranma didn't bother finishing the sentence as he bolted out through the engawa.

Nodoka didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for helping to manipulate her son. He really needed to learn how to speak to a woman. And as his mother, she thought it was her duty to teach her son some manners.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** Let’s face it, Nabiki isn’t going to change. Like Happosai, all you can hope to do is to curb some of their behaviors. There was no way for me to make Nabiki sympathetic, so I didn’t try. I definitely didn’t want to play on the fanon conception that she was the breadwinner of the family but I wanted her to have a reason for acting the way she did. While her backstory is completely fabricated I believe it’s still canon compliant. I hope it was believable and added a layer of depth to the character that was really lacking in the canon.

Shout outs to **Luna 12** for catching the Inuyasha reference and to **Flameraven1** and **gort420** forcatching the Village People reference because no one got my obscure reference to an old 1980’s shampoo commercial in chapter 6.

Big thanks to **alwaysZutarian** and **PepperonyOwl** for all their help in betaing my chapter! 

Original Publication Date: August 12, 2014

Revised: May 12, 2015


	9. Arc II: Chain Reactions, Chapter: Nightmares

Ranma Saotome was not a happy man. He was currently perched in a tree so he could keep an eye on his fiancée. He was doing it for her safety and was definitely _not_ stalking her, despite how it looked.

He had already watched as she had inadvertently caused an accident. A small group of bicyclists came towards her and the lead rider - along with several others - had become distracted when she had turned to wave at her friends who were approaching her. The men had craned their necks around to keep an eye on her as they passed and veered directly into a parked car. The lead rider went flying over the hood and landed on the other side of the car, the people behind him not fairing much better as they ended up in a heap.

While he was annoyed that they were checking her out, he couldn’t really blame them. He had also been distracted by the way her breasts seemed to bounce as she waved, the movement causing the bottom of her shirt to ride up, revealing even more of her toned stomach. In his...excited state, he gripped the four inch thick branch he was using for support a little too tightly and broke it, almost falling out of the tree as a result.

Since she rarely wore anything that tight, it was obvious she had no idea how her body looked when she moved. Ranma grumbled to himself as he jumped from the tree to the nearest roof so he could follow the girls along their route. He would leave the riders to sort themselves out.

He watched as his fiancée walked away with her friends, completely unaware of the devastation she left in her wake. The trio walked down the street and stopped when a little boy ran up to Akane, a small bunch of flowers in his hands. Ranma was pretty bad at guessing the age of little kids, but the boy seemed to be around six; he still wore denim overalls and - even from where he was perched - he could tell the boy had his two front teeth missing.

When Akane squatted down to speak to him at eye level, the boy seemed to become shy and started to blush before handing the bouquet to Akane. Ranma was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he watched as the boy started to toe the ground with his right foot and pointed behind him. Ranma moved his eyes in the direction the boy gestured to and scowled when he saw a blushing male waving hesitantly in their direction. Akane gave him a small wave of her own before turning her attention to the boy again. A moment later she stood up and held the little boy’s hand as she walked him back to the flower cart. 

Ranma's jaw clenched as he watched Akane carry on a conversation with the flower guy. The annoying idiot was clearly trying to flirt with her, but was doing a horrible job of it. He kept rubbing the back of his neck and a blush had formed on his face before he suddenly burst out in loud nervous laughter while waving his arms wildly around. 

To Ranma's surprise, and irritation, whatever he said caused Akane to giggle.

Damn, he wished he could hear what they had said!

After a moment, it looked as if she was trying to give the flowers back and the florist seemed insistent that she keep them. After a small grateful bow to the florist and wave to the little boy, she walked back to her friends. As they rounded the next corner, he watched as Akane turned and gave the daisies to Yuka, who sniffed them appreciatively.

He followed them until they hit the mall. Finding it harder to tail them with so little coverage, he grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby table and ran into a store. Ranma came out a moment later with his red hair in two braids, large eye glasses perched on his nose, wearing a big flowered hat and a puffy sleeved dress. The outfit was perfect and he was sure Akane wouldn't see through his disguise.

It was easy to find Akane and her friends again. They seemed to find every single store window fascinating and stopped at each one to ohh and ahh at whatever was on display, so they hadn't made it very far.  At the window of a pet shop, Akane had bent over to coo over some puppies in the window and they began climbing over each other at the attention from the three girls. 

The visual seemed to be too much for one gangly, pimple faced teen who had just stopped walking to stare at them, his mouth agape and his eyes seemed to pop out of his head, completely forgetting about the ice-cream cone he was eating. He stood there watching them for so long that his ice-cream started dripping all over the floor. Ranma watched as the girls moved on and the boy had still not moved a muscle. Narrowing his eyes, Ranma walked by casually and when he crossed the other boy’s path, he quickly flipped the teen's hand up, causing him to splatter his own face with what was left of the ice-cream. Ranma smirked and muttered, "Pervert," as he walked away.

Thankfully, the trio had apparently decided to watch a movie and headed into the theatre. That made it much easier for Ranma to keep an eye on his fiancée. He paid for a ticket and sat in the back row with a clear view of Akane. He had then endured the longest two hours of his life; the three girls had decided to watch a romantic comedy. He tried his hardest not to pound his head against the wall at the inane things girls considered romantic and/or funny.

Even though he could turn into a girl, he would never understand them. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today had been the most frustrating one of Ranma’s life. He hated having to watch other guys flirt with Akane, but he couldn’t rush in - as much as he wanted to - to beat the crap out of them because she had no idea he was following her. He couldn't just demand that she go home, since he had learned that trying to order Akane around would only backfire on him. And if she found out he was following her, she would insist that he leave her alone and then she would have been left unprotected. With her luck, it would have been then that some psycho would run up to her and demand that she marry him and try to take her away by force. No, he had to stay hidden for as long as possible.

Plus, those other guys didn’t technically do anything wrong. They had been, for the most part, respectful of her. The one guy who tried to put his arm around her had said arm twisted behind his back and his face pushed into the nearest wall before Ranma could even blink, much less move.

During dinner, when Ranma asked her if anything interesting happened during her day, she just shrugged and said no. It made him wonder if she was being modest or if her days were full of people offering her flowers and flirting with her. The thought had made him angrier than he had any right to be.

After he had time to think over the events from this morning, he was sure this whole fiasco could be placed on Nabiki's shoulders. It wasn't a coincidence that she left the table right after his fiancée and neither Akane nor Kasumi owned that type of clothing. He just didn’t know what he did to piss Nabiki off and what her endgame was. He concluded that he'd find out soon enough, so it didn’t matter for now and he let it go.

He wondered why Akane went along with Nabiki's plan, but it didn't take him long to figure out that she did it to teach him a lesson. And it worked. After today, he would never call her unsexy again. Partly because it wasn’t true, but mainly because he couldn't take it if she decided to teach him another lesson. If he had to watch one more guy hit on his fiancée, he would lose it. A guy could only take so much.

Then a strange thing happened, the neurons in Ranma's brain started firing and synapses connected at a rapid pace as his mind connected the events of today with why he had been so angry at Ukyo's assessment of what he really cared about in a fiancée.

He had been subconsciously worried that Akane agreed with the okonomiyaki chef. It was really simple now that he figured it out and he cursed himself for being so dense.

After thinking it over for a while, he knew that Ukyo was kind of right; he did mention looks and cooking ability when he talked about the girls. He just didn't think that anyone took him seriously, especially not someone who was supposed to be his oldest friend. Since most of the rude comments he made were directed at Akane - focused on her looks and her lack of cooking skills - would she also think that was all he cared about?

Akane knew him better than that though - she knew him better than anyone - and she couldn't think that, right?

But what if she did? His comments today must have bothered her if she decided she needed to make a point. After all that he had said to her, he really couldn't blame her for her reaction.

Suddenly a string of memories hit him.

_Macho Chick. Built like a stick. Dumb as a brick. Thighs are too thick. Can't even kick._

_Cute fiancé_ _e meet uncute fianc_ _ée._

_Ryoga's an idiot, to drown himself over a chick like you._

_A gi is the only thing that looks good on you._

_Who'd want to look at your tatas anyways?_

The weight of all the things he had said to her hit him like a punch to the gut. Had he gone too far? Did she hate him for it? Did he ruin any chance he had with her?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_It was a beautiful day and Ranma was taking a walk through the park. He looked down and realized that he was holding someone's hand. Looking over, he saw Akane walking next to him, her eyes closed as she tilted her face up to enjoy the sun. She was wearing her white dress again and she looked absolutely beautiful._

_As they walked, they saw a swing set and Akane giggled and ran over to sit on one of the swings, yelling, "Push me, Ranma!"_

_He spent what felt like hours pushing her back and forth, just watching her face light up in happiness. When he sat next to her, she gave him a smile saying, "I'm so glad that you finally love me. All the work I put into my appearance and all those cooking classes finally paid off."_

_Confused, Ranma looked at her and realized she looked different. Her breasts were absurdly large, and her waist practically nonexistent. Her lips were engorged, her nose slimmer than it normally was, and her eyes were even rounder than usual. He pulled back in shock._

_"Wh-what happened to you, Akane?" His hand reached out to touch her, but he stopped himself._

_"What do you mean? I look great, don't I? I had my boobs enlarged, a rib taken out so that I finally have a waist, the fat suck out of my thighs, collagen injected into my lips, my eyes and my nose done. I did it all for you. It's what you wanted, right?"_

_Ranma shook his head in horror. "No...."_

_Akane gave him a sad look. "Well, what's wrong with me now, Ranma? Whatever it is, I can change it," she said pleadingly._

This isn't right _, he thought as he gazed at her, horrified._

_Suddenly Akane stood up and she was wearing the white halter top and low rise jeans again. "Is this better? Do I look sexy now?"_

_Ranma's heart raced as he looked around franticly, trying to figure out what was going on._

_Suddenly her body became still and stiff, her arms stuck at a ninety degree angle, her body gained cartoonish proportions, her mouth moved into an expressionless smile. She had turned into a life sized plastic doll, her eyes glazed over. Her head swiveled eerily on her neck until she was staring at him though blank eyes._

_"Or would you prefer me to look more like this?" Her voice echoed as it came from her unmoving mouth._

_His eyes widened in terror as he desperately tried to figure out what was happening._

_"Or how about this?"_

_Suddenly, her body seemed to shrink. Her clothes fell soundlessly into a puddle on the floor. Akane was naked and six inches tall again. She floated there momentarily until her body started to fall slowly to the ground._

_"NOOO!" he screamed as he dove to catch her._

_Once she was in his hands, he realized they were no longer at the park but were in the middle of a cave. Looking around he saw a statue with a broken dragon's head spouting water next to a statue of a phoenix. Sprinting forward, he jumped straight into the stream of water, changing instantly into a girl and causing Akane's dehydrated body to grow back to normal size. He held her in his arms, happy he was able to revive her._

_But something was wrong. She wasn't waking up. He shook her slightly, screaming her name. Begging her to come back to him._

_But this time it didn't work, she didn't wake up._

_Suddenly, he was in a graveyard, standing in front of a pile of freshly dug dirt, looking at a headstone that simply said_ Akane _._

_He fell to his knees and screamed._

In his bed, Ranma woke up with a jolt, sweaty, and panting. His heart was beating so fast and loud that he could hear the thumping reverberate in his ears. The nightmare had been so real. He had not felt so scared or empty since that damned cave in Jusendo. Even now, just thinking of the fear and pain that had coursed through his body back then, when he had thought he’d lost her, was enough to make his blood run cold. When he began to shake, he brought his knees up to his chest and placed his hands on the back of his head, curling up in a protective ball. He began to rock back and forth as he whimpered.

_She didn't die. It was just a dream. She didn't die. She's fine. She didn't die._

Unable to calm himself down, Ranma jumped up and out the window, making it over the roof and towards his fiancée’s window. He needed confirmation that she was okay. He needed to see her beautiful face with his own two eyes, to hear her breathing, to touch her warm skin. He needed evidence that she was really there with him.

When he leaned over the roof just to peek inside, his heart began racing in fear when he noticed the window was open. What if someone had snuck in while he was sleeping?

Panicking, he jumped into her room only to find Akane's bed empty. 

He scanned the room, but found no sign of her and his heart stopped. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Waking up in the middle of the night was becoming the norm for Akane. Her dreams were no longer peaceful, full of images of herself in miniature being carried around tucked in the front of Ranma's shirt. She could do nothing to help him as he fought a giant bird. Terror filled her, as she wanted to scream and shout, but her shrunken body was unable to respond to her demands. She was forced to watch as Ranma fought for both their lives, feeling utterly helpless, unable to help the man she loved.

It was almost the same dream every night; sometimes she was the doll and sometimes she was watching it all unfold in front of her like a movie. The horror and agony were so real she woke up disoriented, her chest constricted as tears streamed down her face.

The first few times she had the dream, she tried to force herself to go back to sleep, but the dreams would just continue from where they left off. She found the only remedy for her nightmares was to walk to the kitchen, drink some nice cold water and take a small walk through the house. By the time she went back to bed, she would hopefully fall into a dreamless sleep.

Akane had just opened the door and was walking back into her room when she noticed someone standing there. She tensed, readying herself for an attack, when she realized it was her fiancé.

"Ranma? What are you...?"

She was unable to finish her question, finding herself suddenly being pulled towards him into a bone crushing hug. He was holding her so tight she was having trouble breathing. She was just about to yell at him for scaring her when she noticed that he was trembling and murmuring to himself. 

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his middle and started to stroke his back, making comforting sounds. They stayed that way until Ranma was no longer trembling and his breathing had slowed. 

She pulled away from him slightly, trying to take a look at his face.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You...you were gone. I-I came in to check and you were missing. I thought..."

Ranma started shaking again and was unable to finish his sentence. Akane wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head into the crook of her neck and started to rub his back again. 

"Shh...I'm fine. I'm right here."

She moved out of his embrace and led him over to her bed, her arm still around his shoulders. Propping her pillow up, she sat down close to the wall and pulled him down next to her. She once again put his head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. Sensing that the worst had passed, Akane attempted to find out what was wrong.

"Was it a nightmare? Do you want to tell me about it?"

Ranma only shook his head violently.

Akane just sat there with him for a while before she decided to ask a question that had been nagging at her all week. If she didn't ask him now, she may never be able to do it.

"Umm...I was just wondering if everything is ok? I haven't seen you much but you seem to have been...distracted all week."

She had hesitated asking this question, not knowing what his response would be and fearing the worst. He still hadn’t told her about his date with Ukyo and there was a possibility that he could have decided to begin a relationship with her. She was being rather pessimistic, but if she was right, she would rather learn about it from him and hear it sooner rather than later. She'd deal with the heartache if she had to. It wouldn't kill her.

Or at least not all of her.

Not receiving a response, she said quietly, "If it's personal and you don't want to talk about it, that’s fine."

Ranma definitely did not want to talk about it. In fact, he wanted to avoid it at all costs. If he told her about Ukyo, he wouldn't be able to help himself from asking her about what she thought. With the dream still vivid in his mind, he was just so scared that she would agree with the chef and that she would never forgive him. But if he didn't ask her now, he may never know how she felt. Not knowing how to say what he needed to, he began telling her about his entire trip to Ucchan’s.

"Well, the other day, I went to Ukyo’s and well…”

Akane closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst when Ranma mentioned Ukyo.

_No matter what, I will be happy for him. Eventually,_ she thought to herself. 

But as Ranma relayed his story, her mood changed. She started out thinking their miscommunication was humorous and felt relieved at his lack of interest in the “date”. But as he continued his story she became irritated at Ukyo’s presumptuousness and then down-right angry when she found out that she threw herself at Ranma. Not to mention the irrational jealousy that was quickly taking over. She had to remind herself that Ranma had turned down the chef’s advances so the jealousy was misplaced. Ultimately, she landed on indignation when she heard Ukyo’s thoughts on what the deciding factors were in the so called “fiancée wars”.

Ranma had finished telling her about the encounter with Ukyo the other day. He had hesitated on telling her about the attempted seduction, but decided it was better to tell her the truth now. If she found out about it later - and with his luck, she would - there would be hell to pay. He was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t overreact or accuse him of any wrong doing. When he finished his story, he paused, once again scared of asking her if she felt the same way Ukyo did.

After letting herself seethe for a few minutes, Akane blurted out, “That’s just stupid.”

“Huh? What’s stupid?” Ranma asked in confusion.

“What she said, it was stupid and insulting. Of course looks are important. I mean you’ve got to at least be attracted to someone if you are planning on…umm…having children with them. And yeah, cooking is important; otherwise what will you eat every day? But that’s not all that matters to you!”

“It isn’t?” He asked hopefully.

“Well no, I don’t think so. You want someone who understands you, who understands that even though you say stupid things, you don’t always mean them. I mean, I hope you don’t mean them. And you need someone who is going to tell you that you are being stupid when you deserve it - not someone who’s just gonna agree with everything you say – but will still be there for you when you do stupid things anyways because you’re so damn stubborn.

“You need someone who understands that martial arts are important to you. That will understand that you will want to go on training trips, but stops you if you plan a ten year journey. Someone who knows you’re too stubborn to ask for help even when you need it…”

Akane stopped ranting when she realized what she was saying. She was glad it was dark because her face was so hot she thought her hair would catch on fire. She couldn't believe that she had said all that. It was the truth, or at least she thought it was, but it was still mortifying to admit to, since it showed him exactly how often she thought about him. Worse, how often she thought of what he would need in a wife. She suppressed a groan and mentally started kicking herself.

Ranma was grateful that they were in the dark so he could hide the huge smile on his face. She didn’t hold his words against him. Better yet, it seemed that she somehow saw through all his macho posturing and really understood him.

Maybe now would be the right time to tell her how he felt. Or at least hint at it. But he was too scared to say anything and with his history of saying the exact wrong thing and her tendency to misinterpret his words in the worst possible way, he thought his fear was justified.

They sat there for a while, one feeling mortified and the other elated.

Still berating herself for her verbal slip up, Akane suddenly realized the way she was holding Ranma and felt self-conscious. It was nice holding him like this, but what if he thought she was being too forward? The thought barely entered her head when Ranma moved away, causing her to feel rejected, thinking she had gone too far with her words. Her heart ached at the thought.

Although it felt nice to have Akane comfort him, Ranma was not one to be coddled so he sat up straight and propped himself against the headboard next to his fiancée. The dark giving him more courage than he normally had, he hesitantly reached out and put his hand over hers. He gave her a light squeeze, hoping it would somehow convey to her everything he couldn’t say out loud. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her warm hand in his.

When she felt a slight pressure on her hand, Akane looked down and smiled, feeling silly about her thoughts. It seemed that she kept overreacting to things lately, but decided to not dwell on it and just enjoy the moment. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Ranma woke up the next morning, he knew immediately that something was off. First, he wasn’t assaulted by the sound of his father’s loud snoring. Second, his futon wasn’t nearly as soft as the bed he was on. Third, and really the biggest factor, was that he usually didn’t have his blue-haired fiancée snuggled up to him. 

He wasn’t complaining though, this was definitely a nice way to wake up. Akane was currently sleeping on her left side, facing the wall while he was spooned behind her with his right arm draped over her stomach. He leaned in, buried his nose against her hair and took a whiff.  Peaches, another one of his favorites.  

If getting married meant waking up like this every morning, then it would be worth it. 

When he was a little older, of course. 

He was curious to how he ended up sleeping in her bed, but quickly realized that they must have fallen asleep last night after their talk. He was still pretty happy about how their conversation turned out, though he knew he still had to talk to her about one more thing. But that could wait until she woke up.

Without realizing it, he pulled her into his embrace slightly. He felt a little torn. Part of him was more than happy to stay like this all morning, cuddled with his fiancée. He rarely felt so at peace and happy to do nothing. He knew there would be hell to pay if their families caught them like this, but for once he didn’t care. Not to mention the fact that Akane may beat him senseless if she found out that he had been awake this whole time. He would just feign sleep and take his lumps if they came; it’d be worth it.

But the other part of him felt guilty. Like he was taking advantage of the situation and taking advantage of her. He never wanted her to think he was one of those assholes who would try to force her into something she didn't want. He never wanted her to feel like she couldn't trust him to keep her safe.

The selfish part of him won. He was just too happy to ruin the moment. Besides, who knew if he would ever get this chance again?

He pulled her closer to his chest, making sure to keep his hips away from her. He felt that pushing her bottom towards his morning erection would be crossing the line, regardless of how tempting it was.

Apparently Akane had other plans because she pulled his arms tighter around her before wriggling her body closer to his, her bottom rubbing his groin in the most enjoyable way. His member got even stiffer as pleasure flowed through him. Ranma had to bite back a moan at the sensations that went through his body. 

He had made the wrong decision. When she realized what was happening, she was going to kill him and he was going to die. But he still thought it was worth it.

Akane was drifting between sleep and consciousness, her mind processing very little except that she was comfortable and safe. Her body naturally responded by bringing her closer to the source of the comfort, but even in her befuddled state, she thought it odd that there was something hard poking her in the back. Confused, she rubbed herself against it again, trying to figure out what it was.

Her eyes flew open as she processed several things at once: the arms wrapped around her, the musky scent that could only belong to one person, and a familiar voice groaning in her ear.

She had no idea what to do. Instinctually, she wanted to scream and smack him, but she tamped that feeling down as she remembered them talking last night and figured they must have fallen asleep. He hadn't snuck into her room and tried to take advantage of her.

She knew Ranma had a hard time with physical affection, so she didn't want to do anything to discourage him. Sometimes she felt that he was really like his name sake and she had to be careful with her actions or he would become skittish.

And frankly, she was very happy where she was. 

Ranma knew that Akane was awake when he felt her body stiffen after she rubbed herself against him the second time. He had tried to remain quiet, but couldn't hold back his moan of pleasure.

"Akane? You awake?" he whispered, which seemed like the thing to do in the dark, positioned the way they were.

"Yeah," she whispered back. 

"We must have fallen asleep last night."

"I realized that too."

Akane stayed in her snug position, stopping herself from intertwining her finger through his and was shocked by a sudden desire to rub her bottom against him again.

But it was okay for her to be curious about her fiancé, right? After some soul searching she realized that it was, but that didn't mean she should give into the growing impulse. Instead, she decided to just focus on how nice she felt at the moment and tried to keep her body still.

He waited for the outburst but it was becoming clear that it wasn't coming. He had the overwhelming urge to grind himself against her and move his hand upwards until it grazed the bottom swell of her breast and run the other hand over the generous curve of her hips. He took a deep breath and relaxed a little, but made sure not to move a muscle, lest she think he was trying something.

Ranma was surprised that the silence was comfortable as he resisted the urge to bury his nose in her hair again.

"'kane, about yesterday? You know with that...outfit you wore?" he asked, continuing to whisper.

"Yeah?"

Akane was a little worried that he'd tell her that he liked the clothes. She just didn't feel comfortable wearing things like that. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but she couldn't help feeling that people kept staring at her yesterday. As much as she wanted him to be attracted to her, she couldn't pretend to be someone she wasn't just to please him.

"Well...I don't think you should wear that stuff anymore."

Akane’s heart sunk a little. Even in that get-up, it seemed that Ranma didn’t find her sexy.

"Why? You don't think I looked good in it?"

"No, no that's not it. I thought you looked...nice. It's just not you. I l-like the way you normally dress. It's c-cute."

"But not sexy, right?"

"No, but that doesn't matter. You don't need to be sexy, being...you is enough."

Akane felt her face flush as she absorbed what he said and was glad she had her back towards him. While he didn’t actually call her cute, in his own roundabout way he had told her that he liked her the way she was. She was overjoyed at the simple admission but it still left one unanswered question.

"Then why did you say that?"

Flustered, Ranma said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm too young to get married."

Akane was plain confused as she had no idea how the two subjects connected.

"You know our dads. If I gave them any sign that I was interes...that we were...they'd have us married before we could blink."

While what he said was true, she saw a pretty obvious problem with his solution.

"So, you're planning on just insulting me so they don't get the idea that we li...are getting along?"

"No?" Ranma sighed. "I didn't really think it over," he mumbled.

She giggled, not at all surprised at his response.

"I'm too young to get married too. No matter what they do, a wedding can't happen unless we agree. So let's work together, okay?"

"Okay."

Ranma smiled, it was nice to think of them working like a team. Almost like they were a real couple. And he hated to admit it but Akane would probably have better ideas than he did about how to handle their parents. His plans never turned out the way he thought they would.

"Ummm...well, I guess I better go, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Neither teen made a move to disentangle themselves.

"What time is it?"

"Still pretty early I think."

Ranma was disappointed when he felt Akane move from his embrace. She turned her body and propped herself up briefly before laying back down and facing him.

"We've got an hour before Kasumi and your mom wake up to start breakfast. It's Sunday, so they start later."

Her hair fell over her cheek when she laid down and he reached out a hand to gently push it behind her ear, causing her face to turn red again.

"Did I tell you what happened with Nabiki?"

The pair laid in bed, whispering to each other, both just happy to be in each other's company and trying to stretch out the time they had together before Ranma had to sneak out of her room again. Though this time he remembered to use the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

**A/N:** With all the drama in the last few chapters, I thought we needed to end with some WAFF.

Shout outs to **FireKitsune1** , **Flameraven1** , **Armichi** , **kraken5** , **Compucles** , for catching the **Naruto** reference.

 

Big thanks to **alwaysZutarian** and **PepperonyOwl** for all their help in betaing my chapter through two revisions!  

 

Original Publication Date: August 9, 2014

Revised: May 12, 2015

 


	10. Arc III: Engagements, Chapter: Surprise!

Monday afternoon found Akane walking home from school by herself. Her pig-tailed fiancé had cleaning duties this week and she had opted to go home ahead of him. She smiled a little at the small, yet big changes between them since they woke up together in her bed the previous day.

They had spent all of Sunday together doing various silly activities. After breakfast Akane challenged Ranma to a card game called speed which she lost by a huge margin. She didn't feel too badly about it because he had used his Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique to win. After that they switched to playing War and Akane had won eleven games to Ranma's nine.

After lunch they did some homework and spent a lot longer taking breaks than they did studying. One particularly fun break included a bowl of grapes and Akane throwing them at Ranma and him catching them in his mouth. It took a few tries but she managed to get almost every single grape in his mouth.

They had to stop their study session when Ranma began getting antsy, so they left to take a walk around town. It was rather peaceful but they soon heard the sound of a bike bell and both ran to hide in a nearby alley. Ranma had pinned her against the brick wall, his hands placed on either side of her head as he tried to make them disappear within the building’s shadows. Sure, they were being paranoid but it paid off when they spied Shampoo riding by, apparently making a delivery.

The blue-haired girl’s heart was beating a mile a minute and not from the quick sprint into the alley. She was surprised when he pushed her against the wall to shield her from view with his body. But that turned into something completely different the longer they stood there. She forgot all about the possibility of being caught by her rival and could only focus on the way he felt against her.

His arms and legs splayed around her, basically trapping her within his confines. The hard planes of his muscular chest were pressed against her breasts so intimately. Her face buried in the crook of his neck. Her hands, pressed against the wall, twitched. It would be so easy to wrap them around his body and press him even tighter to her. Or to run them up his chest and wrap them around his neck before pulling lips to hers.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm herself but instead she ended up inhaling his scent. That slightly musky aroma that only left her feeling more exhilarated. Her face flushed red as he pulled back from her and looked at her with a grin. 

Ramna pulled back a little and grinned down at his fiancée before he noticed how close they were, their bodies pressed against each other. Akane had a blush on her cheeks as she stared at him with wide, dazed eyes.

Ranma gulped. There was a look in his fiancée’s eyes that he had never seen before that made his body react instantly. He suddenly felt hot as his blood drain out of his head and went much lower. All he wanted to do was push her against the wall again. But this time to kiss her senseless and run his hands all over her. He started to bring his head down when she suddenly looked away, breaking his trance. He sprang backwards, panting slightly as he tried to regain his control.

Embarrassed by her reaction, Akane closed her eyes and looked down as she tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t believe what she was thinking about, and in an alley of all places! When she opened them, they stood there eyeing each other for a moment before they darted off in the opposite direction the amazon headed.

After dinner, they watched _The Karate Kid_ together. Ranma out right laughed at the training techniques Daniel was put through, saying he wished all he had to do was wash a car, paint a fence, or sand a deck when he was a child.

There were no major revelations or confessions, only simple enjoyment of their time together; without fighting, without awkwardness, but with plenty of laughter. And if they sat just a tad bit closer together during dinner, their family didn't comment. Or if they walked nearer to each other on the way to school, so their hands occasionally brushed, neither stepped away or acknowledged it.

A blush appeared on her face and that now familiar tingling sensation began to flow through Akane as she remembered waking up in Ranma's arms. Her thoughts turned to the feeling of having him wrapped around her. She loved his slightly musky scent (that was there even in his female form) and the way his arms felt when they surrounded her, making her feel like he would do anything to keep her safe. His body seemed to mold to hers, perfectly, like they were made for each other. It was a really sappy thought but she didn’t care. Even when she thought she couldn’t stand Ranma, something about being in his arms always made her feel safe, like she instinctually knew he would never truly harm her. A sudden loud scream jolted her from her thoughts.

"SHAMPOOOOO, my love!!!"

Akane had a split second to groan and dread the encounter with probably both Amazons before she found herself engulfed in the arms of the near-sighted male warrior.

"Here you are, my darling, I've been..."

"MOUSSE! Put your damn glasses on!"

Startled by the familiar voice that was very different than the one he was expecting, the cursed boy pulled back and stepped away. He grabbed his glasses off his head and put them on his face. Bending over, he ran his eyes up and down the figure in front of him.

He was confused. Now that he had his glasses on he could see that this was obviously Akane Tendo, but why did she feel so much like Shampoo? He had grabbed both girls before and didn't remember the blue-haired girl feeling so...lush.

Having had enough of being treated like a piece of meat, Akane smacked him on the top of his head.

"What are you looking at, you pervert?"

Straightening up his clothing and adjusting his glasses, he said, "Forgive me, Akane Tendo, I was just looking for Shampoo and got you two confused."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Why do you go around with those things on your head? You know they only work when they're on your face."

Mousse had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

"Umm...Well...You see..."

"Will you just spit it out?"

He groaned. "Fine. It's just that these things," he waved his glasses around, "make me look... like a nerd. Shampoo really only likes pretty boys and well..."

Akane just stared at him, flabbergasted. Was this really the reason the boy humiliated himself by talking to tanuki statues and mail boxes instead of just wearing his glasses?

"And they say women are vain," Akane mumbled to herself. Sighing, she said aloud, "Well, it's doing you no good to walk around blind."

Mousse laughed, "I can see perfectly well without my glasses." He walked away and ran right into a telephone pole, cracking his glasses and falling to the floor.

"That's it. You're coming with me."

She walked over and reached down to grab him by his ear and forced him to follow her.

"Owww, owww, let go. Let go!" he whined.

Akane had the urge to giggle. She had seen the part-time duck hit with boulders and chui and he was complaining about this. Men, she decided, could be such babies.

She had always felt a sort of kinship with Mousse. She understood how he must have struggled to learn martial arts in a society that told him he should have been tending the home. Where no matter how good he got, he would never be considered a “true” martial artist because of his sex. It was worse for him because his eyesight had made him a laughing stock. She was amazed at how good he was, even having to deal with such a big physical limitation as his eyesight. She knew that if he could get this one thing fixed, he would truly become an asset to his people and hopefully be acknowledged for his hard work and efforts.

She also knew how heartbreaking it must have been for him to have the person he loved mock him and put him down. To be brushed aside so easily by the one person who you wanted to notice you the most.

Yes, she understood Mousse’s pain probably better than anyone else. She was never one to sit back and watch someone struggle if she could do something to help, but in this case, it went deeper than that. To Akane, this was very personal and she would do all she could for the man; she only wished she had done it sooner.

A short while later they reached their destination. Akane had dragged Mousse the entire way and only let go when they had walked through the front door. Pointing at a chair, she told him to sit and wait. She smirked at his obedience and walked up to the front desk.

"Hello. I was wondering if Dr. Iguchi was in?"

"Yes, but he was just leaving for the day. Would you like to make an appointment for another day?"

As she was contemplating what to do, said doctor walked out of the back area. Looking up, his face split into a wide smile.

"Akane! What are you doing here?"

Giving the doctor a low bow, she said, "Good afternoon, Dr. Iguchi. I actually came to speak to you, but I was told you were leaving. I can come back another day."

"Nonsense! I always have time for one of Yuka's closest friends."

The middle aged doctor looked fondly at the young woman in front of him. He had watched her grow up from a spunky little girl into the beauty before him and he couldn't have been prouder of her if she were his own daughter.

He could still remember the worry he had felt when his then young daughter came home in tears on her first day of school. The shy girl had started school in the middle of the year after the family had moved and her parents had worried about her making friends but they never expected her to be so distraught. When she told them that a boy had teased her and pulled her hair they were torn between amusement and concern, glad that it wasn't anything more serious. They had comforted her the best they could and sent her along to school the next morning.

They were pleasantly surprised when she came home smiling. She told them all about her new friend who stood up for her when the same boy had started picking on her again. Akane had apparently stepped in when he began pulling her hair and pushed the boy down. She had then introduced Yuka to her friend Sayuri and the three girls had spent the rest of recess playing tag. They had been friends ever since. He would always be grateful to Akane and thought of her and Sayuri as surrogate daughters.

"Thank you, Dr. Iguchi."

Looking over her shoulder to make sure Mousse was still in his seat, she beckoned the doctor a little further away.

"My friend over there really needs to get his vision checked. He's a martial artist, a rather good one actually, but he loses fights and causes problems for himself because he can't see. He rarely wears his glasses and even when he does...I don't even think they are the right prescription. I was just wondering if you could check him out. Only...I don't think he has any insurance or money. I'd be glad to help out..."

"Don't worry about that, Akane. Let's take a look at your friend first. We'll work something out."

"Okay, thank you." Giving the doctor another low bow, she called out, "Mousse, can you come over here please?" She waited until Mousse had joined them before introducing the two. "Mousse, this is Dr. Iguchi. Dr. Iguchi, the Amazon, Mousse."

"It's nice to meet you, Mousse," Dr. Iguchi said, giving a small nod of his head.

"Doctor, it's nice to meet you, too." Mousse then gave a low bow to the plant the doctor was standing next to.

Akane rolled her eyes and Dr. Iguchi raised his eyebrow at the young man. He looked over at his daughter’s friend who gave him a look that clearly said, ' _See what I mean?'_

"Yes, why don't we go into my office?"

Akane had stayed during Mousse's entire visit with the ophthalmologist. She watched as he was given a standard eye exam and the doctor declared the prescription he had to be old, stating his surprise that the Amazon could see at all. He had suggested that with his disdain for glasses, Mousse should get laser eye surgery instead of getting new glasses or trying contacts. The Amazon readily agreed after having heard the benefits of having the surgery.

Not knowing how the Amazon elder would take the news of Mousse having eye surgery, they decided that tomorrow he would leave a note at the Cat Cafe, saying he was going on a training journey and then stay at the Tendo dojo during his recovery. Mousse had almost declined the offer for surgery when he realized how long the recovery would last, but when Akane mentioned his tendency to heal quickly, he relented. For him, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that he could not turn down. They had agreed that he would meet her after school tomorrow and they would walk over to the doctor’s together before parting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The last egg tart was placed into the pink cardboard container before the purple haired warrior closed the top.

Shampoo was angrier than she had been in a long time. She seethed as she thought over the last few weeks. She knew Ranma had been affected by her body when they were in the park; she had been able to see his desire for her, and if it weren't for the damn sprinklers, she was positive he would have taken her then and there. Not that she would have minded, in fact, the thought turned her on.

She had decided to leave him stewing for a few days, certain that his desire would make him come crawling to her. So when he didn't show up, she decided to seek him out, positive he would receive her warmly, only to have him throw her into the river. She was so angry when she got home, she spent two hours training, destroying anything she could get her hands on.

It had taken a few days but she came up with a new plan that would make him succumb to his desires and beg for her. She enjoyed the thought of Ranma on his knees, prostrating himself before her. After she made him suffer a little for his actions, she would be happy to show him what a real woman had to offer and ride him until he couldn't see straight. Then he would finally be hers.

All she had to do was have him take one bite of these tarts laced with a little love potion number nine (to make him focus on the first woman he saw) and passion spice (to make sure he was able to perform to _her_ satisfaction) and she would finally have what rightfully belonged to her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Balanced on the fence top, hands in his pockets and whistling a jaunty tune, the pig-tailed boy was finally headed home. Even clean up duty had done little to dampen his good mood.

For once, he and Akane were getting along and it felt nice. Better than nice, it felt right. He smiled as he remembered how Akane felt curled up against him. He knew she was muscular but he was surprised to learn that she still felt so soft against him. Her body was just so different than his; so curvy compared to his flat angular body. He loved the way her petite body tucked perfectly against his. And she always smelled so nice; fresh and somewhat sweet at the same time. It was intoxicating. He had been pleased that she'd been so happy the rest of the day, smiling and laughing so openly. He had wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her but he didn't want to do anything to spoil the mood and he was still scared she would reject him.

He thought that he would ask her out to watch a movie with him this weekend, not like a date or anything, but for an outing. Just an outing to test the waters, so to speak. He just didn't know how to go about doing it.

"Airen!"

Ranma groaned as he prepared himself for an attack but one never came. Instead the Amazon appeared before him, her hands behind her back as she gave him a smile. There was something in her eyes that had his danger sensors turning from orange to red.

"Yo, Shampoo."

Shampoo brought her hands out behind her back and presented him with a pink baker's box.

"I bring you too too tasty dessert. You try, okay?"

Ranma hesitantly took the box from her hands and peered inside. His eyes widened when he saw four perfectly golden tarts. They smelled heavenly, slightly sweet and savory at the same time. His hand had begun to reach into the box before he pulled it back out as he remembered the look in her eye.

"Umm. Thanks, Shampoo, I'll just take these home."

"No! You try now."

Shampoo reached for the box before she was stopped by the feeling of tiny hands squeezing her breasts together as a face rubbed itself in her cleavage.

"Sweet little Shampoo!"

Her fist plummeted straight down and punched the pint sized pervert in the head, sending him to the ground. He was wearing his sneak mask and landed next to his burglar's bag.

"Hey, ya old freak. Shampoo made some snacks, ya want one?"

Before Shampoo could do anything, Happosai had taken the box and popped all four pastries into his mouth. She looked on in horror as he raised his head and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Shampoo, my lovely, these were delicious, just like I'm..."

Ranma noticed that Happosai was suddenly glassy eyed as he gazed at the Amazon. The old freak had licked his lips and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Shampoo dash off. Happosai shook his head a little and shot off the ground to chase after her, his eyes gleaming.

Ranma couldn't tell if the egg tarts had been doctored or not. The old pervert’s eyes did go glossy before he left but he didn't behave any differently, so it was hard to tell. Ranma looked back down and saw the bag of lingerie that had been left on the ground and suddenly knew without a doubt that the Amazon had done something to the treats, for the old pervert would never forget a bag full of his ill-gotten goods.

He shrugged, glad that it was no longer his problem and happy that he hadn’t listened to his stomach for once. He jumped off the fence and threw the empty cardboard box into the nearest trash can as he started whistling again.

When he reached the gates of the Tendo compound, he was surprised to see Akane walking towards him, her book bag still in hand.

"Hi, Ranma!"

"Hey, where’ve you been?"

"Oh, I was just visiting Dr. Iguchi's office, you know, Yuka's father. I ran into Mousse and took him over there with..."

"Damn it, Akane! What the hell were you thinking? We talked about you telling me where you going. What woulda happened if Mousse decided to kidnap you again and no one knew where you were?"

Akane watched as he started to pace back and forth. She was beginning to get concerned; he seemed to be so easily agitated lately. She tried to focus on the fact that he was worried and not get upset that he did not trust her. Besides, he had a point, she did promise him she would tell him where she went but she had honestly forgotten and wasn't trying to deceive him.

"Calm down, Ranma. It was my idea. I was walking home when Mousse glomped onto me..."

"What?! You let him...he..."

The vein in Ranma's forehead was pulsing, the muscles in his neck were strained and his hands were clenching and unclenching as he paced. Not only had she broken her promise to him so shortly after she made it but just imagining the blind-duck’s grubby hands on _his_ Akane made Ranma want to run out and beat the boy with his own port-a-potty.

This was too much for Akane, who didn't know how he could even think she would be okay with Mousse touching her like that.

"I didn't _let_ him do anything. Now are you going to calm down and listen or are you going to continue freaking out?" she snapped.

It took a while, with a few more outbursts from Ranma, before the entire story was told. Ranma was still not happy - especially about Mousse staying in the Tendo dojo - but he knew there was little he could do about it. Once Akane got it in her head to help someone, no one was going to stop her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There were leaves on the tree. He knew this of course to be a fact of nature and had held plenty of leaves in his hands. But he had never seen the leaves at the top of a tree before. He could actually see the individual pieces and how they moved separately from each other as the wind blew. He could see the different shades of green that each individual leaf had, ranging from a light green to a deep almost emerald color, sometimes all on the same piece.

He could _see_.

There was a small nest in the tree that he could barely make out as the branches rustled. He could swear he saw the tips of a few egg shells too. A bird flew out of the nest and he tracked it with his eyes as it disappeared over a nearby roof.

The roof itself was an amazing sight. If he wanted to, he could count all the tiles that overlapped to form the sloping top. It would seem like a normal thing for the average person, but for Mousse of the Joketsuzoku, it was truly a magnificent sight. He could not remember ever being able to see details so fine and from such a distance. He knew they all existed and had seen them up close but since his vision had been poor from a very young age he had no memory of them like this.

All he could remember seeing were general shapes; the trees were singular green masses and the rooftops had looked like a uniform piece of wood or tile. He never knew what he had been missing, having thought his glasses were making up for the defect in his eyes, but he now knew he could not have been more wrong.

Today, Akane Tendo had kept her word and brought him to see Dr. Iguchi for the laser eye surgery. Mousse had been more than nervous before it started. He was terrified that something would go wrong and the precious little vision he had would be lost in some accident. But he was amazed that when he left the office his vision had vastly improved and seemed to get better as the day went.

He owed it all to Akane. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to pay her back for her kindness. It just amazed him that someone would do so much for him, especially after all that he put her through. He had noticed her kindness before; it was hard not to when you came from a village of women who were raised to be cutthroat from the time they could train. It was odd for him to see a warrior who could also be kind. Although she was not as skilled as his beloved Shampoo, her skills and strength were not to be ignored. He didn’t know if there was a way to pay her back but he would try his best. While he didn’t owe her a life debt, he felt that the gift she gave him came close.

He was now sitting on the engawa of the Tendo home as he looked at everything possible with new eyes, almost literally. He had enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the family and they all - except Ranma - had greeted him warmly and treated him with respect. Ranma had just grunted at Mousse but after a glare from the youngest Tendo and small slap on the back of his head by his mother, he had given the male Amazon a small begrudging nod of acknowledgement.

Dinner had been an odd affair for Mousse; none of the women screamed at him or hit him over the head, he wasn't forced to work for his food, or turned to a duck and chained in the kitchen. And it surprised him that everyone seemed to enjoy his company. It had been so long since he had been treated with any type of kindness that it felt foreign.

He didn't know if he would ever be able to repay Akane for her kindness or the Tendo family for their generosity, but he knew he would try. No one other than his mother had ever cared about his well-being before and it felt nice.

Ranma was still rude and arrogant but after Jusendo things had changed and Mousse no longer saw him as a rival. After Ranma thought he lost Akane the first time, Mousse had seen see the complete devastation that overtook the pig-tailed boy. He had never seen anyone look so utterly broken before. The usually active and energetic martial artist had simply frozen from shock and would have lost his life if it weren't for the quick thinking of Ryoga. After he found out that Akane was still alive and could possibly be saved, there was a fierce determination there he had never seen Ranma show. He had killed a demi-god for the blue-haired girl and Mousse knew that Ranma's heart belonged to her.

Shampoo no longer had a chance with him, not that she really ever did. Other than that incident with the reversal jewel, Ranma had never shown any real interest in his beloved. Even then, Ranma's attempts at winning Shampoo's affection had been more about his ego than about loving the girl. Even with his then poor vision, it seemed Mousse was able to see the situation more clearly than his beloved ever could.

"Would you like some tea, Mr. Mousse?"

"Yes, thank you very much, Miss Tendo. But please, it's just Mousse."

"Alright, but only if you call me Kasumi."

"Then, thank you, Kasumi."

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

"Of course not."

Mousse watched as Kasumi placed a tray down beside him before kneeling to sit on her calves. She handed him a simple clay cup before taking one for herself. It was odd for him to have her serve him; his culture was so vastly different with the men being more subservient. He returned his gaze once more towards the backyard and watched the sun as it began to set; it created an array of beautiful colors as it disappeared into the horizon.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Absolutely magnificent," Mousse replied.

The pair sat in silence and watched as the moon and the stars overtook the skies. When Kasumi went to bed for the evening, Mousse was still sitting on the engawa, marveling at the sheer number of stars in the sky.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Good job. Next time I think you will be ready to fight my other form."

Akane raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? You think I'm ready for that? Wow, I've never fought a chimera before."

Taro scratched his head before asking, "A what now?"

"A chimera. You know, your cursed form is a mix of different animals; the ancient Greeks called that a chimera." When Taro just gave her a blank look, she added, "Fine, what do you call your cursed form then?"

"I dunno. I never thought about it."

"Okay, what do other people call your cursed form?"

"Nothing, they are usually too busy running away from me, screaming _monster_." Taro affected a rather high-pitched tone and waved his hands in the air when he said the last word. In his normal tone, he added, "No one had ever stopped to say, 'hey, can I call you a chimera?'"

"Well, since I'm the first and you don't have a better idea, that's what I'm gonna call you. Because calling you a 'drowned yeti holding an eel and crane while riding an ox' isn't going to work."

Taro just shrugged in response.

Akane was once again in the abandoned lot with her friend. She had left Ranma and Mousse at the house to finish a heated game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. With the limitations put on Mousse during his recovery, the boys had to become creative in their need for competition. Akane had already stopped one game of Slap Jack as it was becoming too contentious and she was worried it would come to blows. Not trusting the two alone, she had set Aunty Nodoka to oversee the duo before she left for her sparring session with Taro.

"So, you really think I'm ready for that?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you are holding your strength back now. It makes sense since we're only sparring but against my _chimera_ form, you can go all out and it really won't make a difference."

Akane felt slightly insulted at the comment before she remembered it took the combined power of Ranma, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse to down him before. She was just about to respond when she noticed someone walk by. Looking over, she saw her middle sister leaning on the fence, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Hey, Nabiki."

Akane waved her sister over and watched as she walked toward them with a little more swing in her hips than she normally had.

When Taro saw Akane turn her attention towards the gap in the fence he turned around to see what or who she was looking at. He was pleasantly surprised to see the girl he had interacted so quickly with on the best day of his life. She was as attractive as he remembered and he appreciated the way she seemed to saunter towards him. He frowned a bit at the dumb uniform she was wearing that hid her body from him.

_That thing is hideous. Why couldn't they wear a typical sailor fuku, like the rest of the schools around Japan? At least then I could look at her legs,_ he thought.

"Taro, have you met my sister, Nabiki?" Akane asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Sister?"

"Yes, this is Nabiki. Nabiki, this is Taro."

"Taro, yes, I think I remember you."

Nabiki had a sly smile on her face as she batted her eyes at him and clasped her hands behind her back, pushing her chest out.

"Nabiki, was it? Please, call me Awesome."

Taro had run his hand through his hair and made sure to flex his arm exaggeratedly in the process before crossing them in front of his chest to further display his biceps.

Nabiki responded by taking a step closer and running her eyes all over his body. She crossed her arms and tapped gently on her chin.

"Awesome? Is that your name or a description of your abilities?" she purred at him.

Taro had taken a step closer to Nabiki as he took his turn to run his eyes over her boy. He gaze lingering on her chest and her mouth. She was just as attractive as he remembered but it was her confident attitude that really caught his attention. That and her smirk; it made him think a lot of naughty thoughts. Mainly about all the other things she could be doing with that mouth.

"It's my name, but given a chance, I'm sure I can make you say it again and again about my abilities."

"Oh really? How do you plan to do that?" Nabiki asked as she licked her lips.

"The process is _long and_ _hard_ but I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Oh? Well it's lucky that I enjoy putting my back into... _pleasurable jobs_."

"Go to dinner with me tonight and I'll tell you more about it."

"Pick me up in an hour and don't forget to change, you're taking me somewhere nice."

At this point the two were standing as close to each other as possible without touching. Nabiki reached up and ran her finger along his arm.

After Taro gave her a wink, Nabiki grabbed her gaping sister by the hand and headed home. They had walked a block before Akane had processed everything that she had seen. While she was slightly naive about things, even she couldn't miss the blatant innuendo and sexual tension between the two. She wouldn't have been surprised if the pair had started dry humping each other in the lot.

"You're not really going to have sex with him tonight, are you?"

Nabiki shrugged. "Probably not but you never know." At her sister's scandalized look, she added, "Oh, lighten up. I doubt it will happen tonight, but don't get me wrong, I _want_ it to happen. He's super hot and I've never been a wait-until-you're-married type of girl."

"But don't you think he'd expect you to after all that?"

"No, I was just flirting with him and he was flirting back. I'm sure he's hoping something happens, but he doesn't seem like the type of guy to expect it, does he?"

"You're right; he's not that type of guy. It's just that you were so..."

"I was what?" Nabiki challenged. When Akane didn't respond she said, "Look, I was just flirting with him, teasing him a little. Okay, a lot, but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it wouldn't hurt if you started flirting a little yourself."

"What?"

Nabiki stopped walking and looked her sister in the eye. "Ranma has Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi offering themselves to him on a silver platter. And there are several other girls at school who would happily spread their legs for him if they weren't so concerned about their physical safety, not that he's ever noticed any of them. To his benefit, he has turned them all down. Not all teenage boys would do the same. He's a little dense about these things but it's a little hard not to notice girls who are throwing themselves at his feet. And what have you been doing?"

"I don't want to act like that!"

Nabiki gave a huge sigh. "No one is asking you to, little sister. But would it hurt to give him some subtle encouragement? Would it really be so hard to smile a little more at him or to bat your eyelashes at him?"

"But wouldn't that be trying to manipulate him into doing what I want?"

"Well, I hope that it would be encouraging him to do _you_ , but no, it's not manipulating him." When Akane's face turned red, Nabiki added, "Would it really be a hardship if you had to touch him once in a while?"

Akane, face now red, thought back to the few times she had tried to encourage Ranma. When they weren't being interrupted - like the time when the family disrupted them when they were about to kiss! - Ranma had seemed to react positively. And thinking back to the other morning, she knew that she would be more than happy to touch him. She bit her lip nervously.

"Well...what do you think I should be doing?"

Nabiki smirked at her sister before she hooked their arms together.

"Why don't we talk about it while you help me get ready?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mousse had left the house a little earlier than planned. Both Ranma and Akane had taken him to a follow-up visit and the doctor had been rather surprised about his recovery, but he had very little exposure to the types of martial artists that seemed to be drawn to Nerima.

They were taking a walk around town before dinner. Akane checked Ranma out from the corner of her eyes and she became red as she realized that she was eyeing his crotch. She pulled her gaze to the ground, completely mortified. Was she becoming a pervert? Her eyes widened at the thought that maybe some of the perverseness of the boys from school and Happosai had rubbed off on her. The thought of catching something from any of those idiots made her nauseous. But she couldn't help herself! She could clearly remember waking up in his arms and the feeling of him pressed against her had really turned her on.

She thought back to the conversation with Nabiki about trying to flirt with Ranma. She suggested that Akane tried to do little subtle things to show her affection for him and at the same time give him some positive reinforcement. She told Akane to laugh at his jokes, lightly tap him on the shoulder, bat her eyelashes at him, and smile at him. It didn't sound too hard and now that they were alone, she thought it was the perfect time to try it out.

"You know, I'm happy for Mousse. He seems so cheerful now that he can see and he has been having a lot fewer accidents lately," Akane said, to start some conversation.

"Yeah. Now that he can see, hopefully he won't be using that stupid training potty anymore."

"Why do you think he ever started to use that thing?"

"I dunno. Maybe he just carried it around in case he needed to use it and ran out of weapons."

Akane started laughing loudly at his small attempt at a joke, but realized she was sounding a bit manic. Trying to save the moment she decided to slap him slightly on the shoulder but in her nervousness, she hit him too hard and sent him flying into the nearby fence.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Ummm...there was a bee on your shoulder. Sorry."

"Oh, okay." Ranma said as he began to walk beside her again.

Mortified, Akane kept her head down and didn't try to initiate any more conversation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Friday afternoon found Ranma walking home from school with Akane and Nabiki. It had surprised him that the middle sister seemed to have changed overnight when it came to his fiancée. They seemed to be closer than he ever saw them, and while Nabiki pretended to be annoyed with her sister at times, she actually smiled at her and teased her in a friendly manner. It was a marked difference from the usual smirks and taunts she used to rile Akane up.

He really didn't know what to make of it and it kind of worried him. Akane had told him the gist of the conversation between the sisters and about Nabiki's promise to stop blackmailing both of them but she didn't go into details about how Nabiki's revelation came about. Ranma wondered if this was some sort of act to lull them into complacency so she could catch them with their guard down and get some truly damaging material. But for the life of him, he couldn't see what she would try to uncover.

Akane seemed confident in her knowledge that her sister would keep to her word and was happier than he had seen her in a long time. Nabiki still treated him with the same distant manner, so for now he decided to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Which meant that he would keep an eye out for any possible hi-jinks and enjoy the benefits of being around Akane in her good mood.

He started noticing that Akane was acting a little peculiarly lately and he was becoming a little concerned. The other day he had said something in passing about Mousse and she started to laugh uproariously at it when the comment wasn't that funny. Then she swatted him on the arm with enough force that he fell into a fence. When he asked her why she hit him, she had mumbled something about a bug being on his shoulder and her face turned red.

Then this morning they had been talking when she tilted her head and started blinking rapidly at him. He thought something was in her eye and he leaned down to look into them but he didn't find anything. He asked her if she had some dirt in her eye and offered to blow into it just in case. Suddenly she turned around in a huff and walked off. He really had no idea what to make of it.

He glanced over at his fiancée and watched as she giggled at something her sister said. Ranma rolled his eyes when he realized they were probably talking about Taro. Akane had told him that the two had gone on a date, or started dating, he wasn't sure which one and to be honest, he wasn't sure he knew what the difference was. He shuddered to think of the pair together though; with her brain and his brawn, the two could become Nerima's first super villains.

Although that meant he could be Nerima's first super hero. He could be like Batman, with all those awesome gadgets. Or better yet, like his partner, Robin, who had a cool aerobatic fighting style. He could run around and lead his own team of super heroes in a fight against evil. He imagined fighting crime beside Akane. She could be his batgirl. The image of her in a tight fitting black leotard, thigh high boots, and mask, with her cape blowing behind her while she stood akimbo, had the blood pumping through his veins.

He shook his head and glanced over, relieved that neither girl had noticed his lapse in attention. His fantasies starring Akane seemed to be increasing lately and he wondered if there was something wrong with him and if he was finally turning into the pervert Akane used to accuse him of being. But the memory of having her curled up in his arms had seemed to increase the amount of dreams he had about her, as well as the daydreams.

He was just happy that things seemed to be getting back to normal. Mousse had gone home the previous day after his follow up visit. Now he had an entire weekend to look forward to and see if he could finally get Akane to go with him to the movies.

They all entered through the front door and were greeted by Kasumi, who seemed to have been waiting for them.

"Father has asked that you all go clean up and put on something nice. We have some visitors that he would like us all to greet in the dojo. Ranma, this includes you too, as your father is already in the dojo and your mother is helping me get some refreshments together."

"What's this about, sis?" Nabiki asked

"I have no idea, the guests arrived a little while ago and Father and Mr. Saotome rushed them into the dojo and had only come out to give me those specific instructions."

In short time everyone had changed and met back in the living room. Ranma, Akane and Nabiki all walked towards the dojo together, since Nodoka and Kasumi seemed to have finished their snack preparations. When they entered the dojo, Ranma saw Soun sitting by himself facing the dojo doors, a small tray with tea and snacks in front of him. On the left side of the dojo sat his parents, small trays in front of them and a third tray sitting closest to the door. He assumed this was where he was supposed to sit and went forward. When he sat down, he saw that Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane were all sitting in a row, their backs towards the door.

Directly across from him sat three people he had never seen before in his life. There was an older gentleman wearing a pinstripe three piece suit, next to a lady that must be his wife. She was wearing a deep red suit jacket and matching pencil skirt, with a white silk blouse underneath. The third person could only be their son, as his resemblance to the mother was fairly obvious. He had on a pair of dark slacks, a white button up shirt covered with a navy v-neck sweater, underneath a charcoal blazer.

Now he understood why Soun had asked them all to get changed before coming in. Not one to care about clothes, he still felt underdressed in his orange mandarin style top with a small red bow near the collar and usual black pants.

He looked up when Soun cleared his throat.

"Thank you for joining me today, children. I would like to introduce everyone to some old... acquaintances." Gesturing to his left, he said, "This is Mr. Tomo Chihari, Mrs. Yoko Chihari, and their son Sota." Everyone gave them a bow of the head before Soun gestured to his right and continued, "These are the Saotomes, Genma, Nodoka, and their son Ranma." The Chiharis bowed to the Saotomes before Soun gestured in front of him, "And these are my daughters, the eldest Kasumi, my middle daughter Nabiki, and my youngest Akane." The Chiharis bowed again towards the girls before they all turned their attention back to Soun.

The Tendo patriarch cleared his throat and Ranma was surprised to see that Soun had begun to sweat. "The Chiharis have come by today about an engagement contract." He cleared his throat again.

Ranma's eyes narrowed and he turned to face his father. Before he even knew what he was doing, he jumped to his feet and screamed, "Damn it, Pop! What the hell did you do now? Ain't two engagements for me enough?"

He whirled towards the Chihari family and continued, "You guys look like nice people and all but I already have more arranged marriages than I can handle. And it looks like your daughter isn't interested either, since she didn't bother to show up today. Whatever Pop promised you, we'll try to pay it back but the engagement is off."

To his surprise, Mr. Chihari gave a loud bellowing laugh while his wife just looked at Ranma like he grew a second head. When he had calmed down, the older man said, "My boy, the engagement contract isn't between your family, it's with the Tendo Family."

Ranma turned bright red and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh sorry about that," he mumbled before sitting down again. His mother glared at him while his father gave him a self-satisfied smirk, obviously proud that whatever chaos was occurring was for once not his fault.

Ranma turned his gaze and noticed that all three Tendo girls were sitting rigidly, and staring at their father. Kasumi's eyebrows were furrowed and she had a slightly disappointed look on her face, Nabiki looked at him coldly, while Akane had a surprisingly blank look on her face. Ranma figured it was because she knew that for once the events didn't involve her, since she was already engaged to him.

"Daddy, how kind of you to arrange marriage contracts for all three of your daughters. It's so nice to know that you care so deeply about our happiness and wellbeing. And think, with one contract having been broken, you can now go out and trade the remaining daughter for more free food; you must be overjoyed," Nabiki said acidly.

Soun burst into tears and tried to explain himself but was blubbering so badly, no one understood what he was saying.

Mr. Chihari, who seemed to be unable to pick up on the tension in the room, said jovially, "Oh no! The agreement was made over lingerie, not food!" He turned his gaze to Nabiki and said, "When we discussed the terms of the agreement, you father only had two daughters and we had agreed that my son's fiancée had to be one trained in the Anything Goes style." He looked expectantly at all three girls, clasped his hands together, and said excitedly, "So which ones of you are martial artists?"


	11. Arc III: Engagements, Chapter: Taken

Ranma couldn't believe it. These people wanted a fiancée who had been trained as a martial artist. It meant that they wanted Akane. _His_ Akane. Ranma had a moment of shock before he became angry. His hands began to shake in rage and he had to clench his hands around the loose material of his pants as he tried to calm his breathing.

Who were they to come in here and demand his fiancée marry their son? He glanced over and finally took a good look at Sota and he mentally scoffed. The guy was a complete pretty boy with his pressed clothes, his clean cut hair, and his polished manners. He could take the guy easily. Hell, Akane could probably take this wuss. He narrowed his eyes as he stared daggers at the boy sitting opposite him without a care in the world.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He had already embarrassed his parents by making a scene once and he would not do it again. He didn't care about how his father felt but he refused to have his mother ashamed of him.

The rest of the room had stilled as what had been announced was absorbed. Nabiki and Kasumi glared at their father, who had stopped crying and was now cowed by their stares. Genma looked at his friend in pity while Nodoka looked sadly over to her son who was now looking at Akane worriedly. She had not reacted at all and sat motionless with a blank look on her face. She should have been furious but there was absolutely no reaction. 

Mr. Chihari was the first person to break the silence, having grown annoyed at not receiving an answer. "Well, which ones of you have been trained?" he asked impatiently. 

When both Nabiki and Kasumi looked over at Akane, Mrs. Chihari turned her head to examine the blue-haired girl.

"Oh, is it you, dear? Are you the only one who has been trained?" When Kasumi and Nabiki nodded automatically at her question, the older woman clapped her hands together excitedly. "Why, you are just beautiful!" She got up and went over to Akane and asked, "Can you please stand up, dear?"

Ranma watched as Akane stood and walked over to the older woman. He knew something was wrong as she seemed to move automatically and he knew Akane was not someone who would just allow other people to tell her what to do.

Mrs. Chihari circled the younger girl, taking a good look at her before declaring, "You are just perfect! You look almost like a doll with your petite height and that adorable dress. You have a wonderful hour glass figure that will look lovely in our clothes. I can't wait until you are trained in Martial Arts Tailoring. We're going to have so much fun together!"

A pair of eyes narrowed at her comments.

"Just think about all the things we can do together! Between you and me, I need another woman in the family to help keep these two in line." Mrs. Chihari gestured to the two Chihari men and impulsively hugged Akane, not noticing or acknowledging her lack of response.

A pair of fists clenched, the knuckles going white with the strain.

"You're going to have to come see the store and we can get you outfitted with some new clothes. Oh, we are going to get along wonderfully!"

A low growl was emitted behind gritted teeth.

"I've always wanted a daughter!" Mrs. Chihari exclaimed and emphasized the statement by clapping her hands together excitedly and bouncing on her toes.

That pushed the angry Saotome over the edge and suddenly Akane was grabbed by the arm and pulled backwards as a figure stepped in front of her like a guard.

"I think you are mistaken, Akane is already set to marry my son Ranma."

Mrs. Chihari could not miss the hostile tone and aggressive posture of the woman standing suddenly before her. They appraised each other, taking in the other's clothes and general appearance before they narrowed their eyes at each other.

Ranma had never seen his mother that worked up and the anger he felt was momentarily forgotten as he became frightened as both ladies seemed to exude small, barely visible battle auras. Instinctively, Genma and Ranma scooted closer to each other, huddling together for protection. Across the room, the two Chihari men did the same as they stared at their matriarch with fear.

"Well, your son has already stated that he has at least one other engagement, so it shouldn't be an issue if you break this one."

Mrs. Chihari reached around Nodoka and pulled Akane so that she was now standing next to her.

"We will not. Our agreement was created before any of the children were born."

Nodoka grabbed Akane's upper arm and tried to pull her closer but was stopped by Mrs. Chihari, who still had her other arm.

"Does yours have a clause in it that requires the fiancée to be trained in the Arts?"

"No, it was one to combine the Tendo and Saotome schools into one."

"That just means that the agreement can be fulfilled by another Tendo daughter. They both look lovely, and I am sure one would make an excellent wife for your son."

"Well, Akane and Ranma have been getting to know each other over the last two years and it would be improper to change the arrangement now. Since your son has no attachment to her yet, it would be as easy for your son to change to one of the other girls."

With each successive statement, Akane was pulled back and forth between them, her arms stretched out to the sides, as the older women played tug-of-war, using her as the rope. Kasumi and Nabiki watched the two older women like they would a tennis match, their heads swinging left and right as each woman spoke. The Saotome and Chihari men had shrunken further back in fear, the fathers having had pushed their sons to the forefront and taken to hiding behind them. Soun sat and tried to watch the events but the tears pouring out of his eyes made it difficult for him to see.

"No, we own several stores where we sell our clothes and need someone who can be easily trained in Martial Arts Tailoring so she can help run our stores."

"Well, Nabiki would be perfect then. She loves fashion, understands finances, and is smart enough to help run any shop."

Nodoka had not wanted to call out either of the other Tendo daughters but she knew that Kasumi was dating Tofu and since Nabiki _did_ like nice clothes and liked to be financially secure, it seemed to be a good fit. But her main goal was to secure Akane as her daughter-in-law!

"Yes! That's a wonderful idea, why don't you pick one of my other daughters. They are both lovely and I am sure you will like them just as much," Soun exclaimed, excited at the prospect of getting all the engagements settled amicably.

Kasumi and Nabiki glared at their father, their heads ballooning in size until they loomed over him, giving him menacing looks at being regarded like consolation prizes and for his callousness in treating them like they were trading cards that could be easily exchanged.

This went completely unnoticed by the two women in the center of the room, who having let go of Akane, were now standing nose to nose. Ranma swore he could see lightning bolts shooting out of their eyes as their vision locked.

None of the men were willing to get in between the two matriarchs.

"No, our agreement was very specific, we would like Akane."

"Well, that isn't an option!" Nodoka snapped.

The room had gone completely quiet as the women glared at each other.

"Mrs. Chihari, Aunty Nodoka, would either of you like more tea?" Kasumi said sweetly, popping up right next to them, holding a teapot on a small serving tray.

She had regained her composure and felt things were getting out of hand. Before anything could be addressed, everyone would need to calm down and the women needed a gentle reminder of proper decorum to help them do so. She was amused by their behavior, especially that of Aunty Nodoka. It seemed that Ranma's jealous nature was inherited from his mother.

They both turned to the serene young woman and immediately dropped their aggressive stances and acted as if nothing unusual had happened and began smoothing out invisible creases on their clothes. They both gave her a wide smile that didn't quite reach their eyes.

"Yes, that would be lovely, dear. Thank you," Nodoka said.

"Yes, thank you," Mrs. Chihari added. 

They both sent one last glare at the other before walking to their seats. The Saotome and Chihari men relaxed from their cowed positions and scrambled to their original seats, not wanting to be on the receiving end of either woman's fury. 

Once everyone, including Akane, had been seated again, Kasumi began to pour more tea for everyone before sitting down. The group drank their tea in silence as Nodoka and Yoko continued to scowl at each other from across the room. 

Surprisingly, it was Sota Chihari who broke the silence. 

"If I may speak to Miss Tendo alone for a moment, I am sure we can get the issue settled," he said charmingly as he smiled at the room in general.

Yoko gave an adoring smile to her son, happy that he was behaving properly and seemed ready to woo the youngest Tendo.

Ranma narrowed his eyes at the other male, getting over his temporary shock at his mother’s behavior. There was no way in hell that he would allow him anywhere alone with Akane.

"You ain't going nowhere with her, buddy!" Ranma growled out, earning an approving nod from his mother at his defense of his fiancée. 

Sota turned to Ranma, with one eyebrow arched high. "I'm just asking to speak to her in another room..."

"And I told ya, that ain't gonna happen!"

"What do you think I am going to do to her?" Sota asked with a smirk on his face.

Ranma didn't know what he thought was so funny and was about to stand up to smack that smile right off his smug face when the other boy turned his attention to Akane.

"Besides, it's not your decision to make, it should be her decision, don't you think?" Sota asked as he looked expectantly at Akane.

When she didn't respond, Ranma turned his head and was surprised to see his fiancée with the same blank look on her face. "'kane?" he asked worriedly.

Ranma watched as she turned her head towards him and shook her head a little. Suddenly he saw the spark return to her eyes before she turned her head so she was staring directly at her father.

In a sugary sweet voice she said, "Oh I'm sorry, I was just surprised that anyone thought I would like a say in who I am to marry." She turned her head to Sota and said, "Why don't we go into the house to have our talk?"

Ranma just stared at her with a hurt expression on his face, surprised at her response. He had no idea why she was willingly going anywhere with this stranger but it was clear he had no say in the matter. It was only then that he realized she had not spoken a word before now. He watched as she walked out with the other boy and a feeling of apprehension filled him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been almost half an hour since she had left. Ranma had no idea what they could have been speaking to each other about for so long, but he didn't like it.

Was Sota trying to convince her to marry him? Did he really think that he could get Akane to fall for his charms in such a short time? Had he been confident in getting the issue resolved because he had experience in seducing women? Was he now trying to touch or _kiss_ her? The thought had Ranma seeing red and it took all his will power not to go storming out of the room in search for the pair. He was slightly mollified at the knowledge that Akane could take care of herself and would break Sota's jaw if he tried to make a move on her. Although if someone were to break the other boy's face, he wanted to be the one to have the pleasure.

The entire time they had been gone the room had been tense, the older women had continued their silent glaring contest but thankfully remained seated and out of each other's faces. When his mother had learned that it was Genma who suggested the engagement agreement between the Tendos and Chiharis, she gave him a murderous look and Genma began to sweat.

He found out that the two older Anything Goes martial artists and their master had been on a "training journey" when they ran across the Chiharis' shop. Happosai had been distracted by negligee in the window display and had run in and looted the store. He had fled before the Chiharis could stop him and left Soun and Genma there to take the blame. The men had been bound with fabric and rolled up like sushi before they could escape.

Genma was now sitting as still and quietly as possible, hoping to be forgotten. Ranma had mentally termed this the _Saotome Super Secret T-Rex Defense_.

He glanced back at his mother, still surprised at her earlier reaction. He knew that she preferred Akane to the other girls but he didn't know until now how attached she was to the blue-haired girl. It was clear that she was more concerned about losing Akane as a daughter-in-law than at him losing her as a fiancée.

But that wasn't going to happen. There was no way that Akane would ever just ditch him. They had been through too much together. Even though their relationship was still undefined, he knew that she had feelings for him. What those feelings were exactly, he couldn't say. But she cared for him, that much was obvious. 

He straightened up when he saw Akane and Sota entering the room. Everyone had turned to look at the pair expectantly and Ranma was completely blindsided by what happened next. 

"We have decided that for now, the engagement between Akane and I will stand," Sota said, looking towards his parents.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Mrs. Chihari exclaimed and went over to hug her son and then Akane.

Mr. Chihari had followed his wife over and slapped his son on the back saying, "That's my boy! Way to use that Chihari charm on her!" He reached over and clasped Akane by the hand and said enthusiastically, "Welcome to the family."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma was in his usual thinking spot; the roof over Akane's room. This time, he had to admit, he was definitely brooding. But he was doing it in a manly, stoic sort of way.

He couldn't get over what happened earlier. He had no idea why Akane was okay with being engaged to a stranger. When it was him she was introduced to, she fought the engagement tooth and nail. What was different this time? Why was this guy special?

Was it because Sota was normal, while he was cursed to turn into a girl? She used to call him a pervert all the time but she had gotten over that. He had thought she had become used to his curse and sometimes it felt like she preferred "Ranko" to Ranma. 

Maybe it was because that pretty boy seemed to be able to actually talk to women. A skill he had still yet to master. He remembered the things he had said to Akane when they first met. He had been angry at being called a pervert and had lashed out at her. But that was so long ago, he didn't think she would hold it against him now.

It could be that the Chiharis seemed well off. Living on the road, he was used to carrying everything he owned on his back and had never felt poor. Hungry sometimes, but not poor. After living with the Tendos he realized just how little his family had. It was sometimes embarrassing but it was the life of a martial artist. Or so he thought until he met the Chiharis.

He hated to think about it but wondered if she was attracted to Sota. That thought more than any of the others made Ranma's heart ache and his hands fist in his lap.

He leaned back and tried to relax. He had only felt like this once before; when he thought she had left him for Shinnosuke. Back then, he felt confused and hurt but ultimately wanted her to be happy. Although it hurt him, he would have let Akane marry the forgetful boy but he had needed to know why she had chosen Shinnosuke over him.

It seemed things hadn't changed that much. He would step back if she wanted to be with Sota but he still needed to know why.

Even if it hurt.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been such a long day and Akane was just exhausted. All she wanted at the moment was to curl up in her bed but she knew she couldn't yet. After Sota announced the engagement was to go forward, Ranma had sat there momentarily shocked until he suddenly stormed out of the room. His mother had followed shortly after with a hurt look on her face. Genma realizing he was no longer needed, had left immediately after her.

She knew he would be mad but she didn't count on the hurt look in his eyes. It made her heart break a little. She never wanted to hurt Ranma and hoped that he would be willing to talk to her.

She wanted to follow him out of the room but was unable to because she was stuck talking to the Chihari family to work out some details. Since Sota was four years her senior, they had agreed to wait until she turned at least eighteen before a wedding would even be considered. The delay would also give the newly engaged couple a chance to get to know each other and get used to the idea of being engaged. No one in the Chihari family had addressed her engagement with Ranma, Sota's family assuming the engagement would be transferred to Kasumi or Nabiki. The two other Tendo sisters had stayed in the dojo but had remained mostly silent with frowns on their faces. Soun had been both relieved that things were seemingly settled and upset because he would have preferred to have her marry Ranma. He did not say anything in front of the Chiharis but Akane could tell that he was tense. 

When she had walked into the dojo with Nabiki and Ranma earlier that day, her danger senses had started tingling and a sense of foreboding came over her. She just knew something idiotic was going to happen, and in her family, it was her that bore the brunt of the crazy going ons.

When she learned about the engagement, she had gone blank. It was like her mind had shut itself off to protect her from something she couldn't understand. She felt like she had watched everything happen through someone else's eyes. She was oddly removed from the entire situation. Part of her had wanted to rage at the injustice but that part was easily ignored. If she listened to that part, she knew that she would be flooded with emotions that she couldn't handle. She moved automatically and just went along with what people wanted her to do.

The worst part was that no one even seemed to notice her lack of participation. Like she wasn't even a real factor in her own engagement.

It was exactly what she was trying to do at the park the other day but this just came automatically. She wondered if it was some sort of delayed defense mechanism from all the chaos in her life.

It was easier to just feel nothing, but that was over now, she had to deal with the aftermath of her decisions. She stared at the ceiling above her, knowing Ranma would be up there. He had been very cold during dinner, not acknowledging anyone and only having stayed for one serving. She sighed and hoped the following conversation was going to go well.

After jumping onto the roof, Akane sat down next to Ranma, who did not acknowledge her. She sighed and thought, _This is going to be harder than I thought_.

"Ranma, are you okay?" When he didn't respond, she added, "Can we talk about it?"

"Why, Akane? Why? That's all I want to know. Why did you fight our engagement for so long and then just go along with this? Just tell me what it is. Do you like him? Is it because his family has money? I just don't understand," Ranma said through clenched teeth.

Even by the dim light given off by the moon, Akane could see the strain on his face, how his hands were clenched tightly, and she was surprised that he had not started screaming at her.

"He's nice and all but I don't like him, not that way. And I hope you would know that I don't care about the money. I agreed to go along with the engagement because he doesn't want to marry me."

Ranma looked over at her, shocked. "What?"

Akane began to tell him about the conversation she had earlier.

_After coming into the main house, she had shown Sota into the family room._

_"Please, have a seat."_

_"Thank you."_

_After sitting down across from each other, Akane said politely, "So, Sota, what did you want to talk about?"_

_"Well, you don't seem to be very excited about the situation and I can't really blame you since you are already engaged to someone else. I was just hoping you would accept the engagement. See the thing is, I actually don't want to marry you."_

_While Akane was relieved to hear that, she was also confused._

_"I'm sorry, I just don't understand. If you don't want to marry me, why do you want me to accept the engagement?"_

_"Because I need to buy some time. My parents don't know it, but I've been dating someone for over a year already. I was planning on asking her to marry me before my father told me about the engagement."_

_"Why haven't they met the girl you've been dating for over a year?"_

_"She's also a martial artist but her family has a different style, they practice Martial Arts_ _Haberdasher_ _y."_

_"Isn't that a store that sells men's items?"_

_"Yes, technically that is the name of stores that sell men’s items. Their family art is based off of that but they have expanded the store, and their martial arts to include women’s accessories. They have a very popular line of handbags and shoes."_

_"Well, that's great, it seems like that would work out for you guys. The martial arts seem complimentary and you can combine the stores, right? She could easily adapt to your style and you can to hers."_

_Sota sighed. "Theoretically, yes. But her grandfather and my grandfather used to be friends and then had a falling out. Our families have been rivals for years. My dad...he can be really odd about some things."_

_Akane laughed for the first time since she came home. "Trust me, I know all about weird fathers."_

_"Yeah, I kinda had that feeling after I heard the details of how the engagement came about. So do you think you would be able to help me out?"_

_"For how long? And what happens if she says no to you, are we stuck with the engagement?"_

_"Only a little while, I promise. I will propose soon and if she says no, then I will talk to my parents about breaking the engagement. I'd do it now, but I don't want them to become suspicious to why I am so against it."_

_Akane thought it over and could only see one reason not to help Sota, but she hoped that reason would be understanding after she explained it to him. If this worked out, the engagement would be dispatched easily. Which was more than could be said of his extra fiancées._

_"All right, I'll help you."_

_"Great, but can you keep this between us? I'm worried that the more people who know, the easier it will be for my parents to find out."_

_"Well, I can keep it from everyone but Ranma. He isn't going to be happy when we announce the engagement and I want to be able to explain it to him without having to lie to him."_

_"Yeah, he did seem a little protective of you."_

_Akane rolled her eyes at his understatement._

"That was it. He just wants to use me as a cover."

"So he doesn't want to marry you?"

"Not even a little bit."

A weight felt like it fell off Ranma's shoulders as a sense of relief filled him. With his history, he wasn't ready to believe things could be settled that easily but he felt much better knowing that Akane didn't have feelings for the older boy.

"So what else did you talk about? You were gone for quite a while."

"Nothing really, just working out what to tell his parents and he told me all the details of the agreement and how it came about." She paused and looked over to Ranma, glad to see that he no longer looked angry. "So, are you still mad?"

"Feh, I wasn't mad."

"Okay good, for a second there I thought you might have been jealous, but that'd just be silly, right?" She teased with a smile.

"Right, why would I be jealous of a pretty boy like that? He probably can't even fight. I bet even Kuno could kick his butt."

Ranma looked over to see her roll her eyes at him before sending him a small smile. They spent a few moments together enjoying the stars before Akane went to bed.

It had been a long day for the pig-tailed boy, but he was glad it had ended on a somewhat good note. It could have been so much worse. He really could have lost her. He wondered if Akane had been living with these same feelings for the last two years. Did she fear that he would just leave her for one of the other women in his life? He sighed at the thought. She probably had. He cursed himself at the thought of how much pain that would have caused her.

For a while this afternoon he had honestly thought that he had lost her and the pain had been almost unbearable. He had wondered if she saw something in Sota that he didn't have. That maybe she realized that she was too good for him and that she deserved better.

He tried not to think about it but he knew that he didn't bring much to their relationship. When they got married - because they would get married if he had anything to say about it - it would be her family home that they would live in and it would be her family dojo that they would work in. Even now, his family was dependent on her family for the roof over their heads. Despite how it may seem, he was grateful to the Tendos for their generosity, but he had no real way to repay them.

Ranma only had one thing that he could provide for Akane that no one else could; he could protect her. He was stronger and more skilled than any of her other suitors. He was the only one able to keep her safe from the dangers that they both found themselves in. He had almost failed once and he would not let that happen again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Tendo, you know what the solution to this whole problem is?" Genma asked, in a loud voice, pretending that he had just had an idea.

"No, Saotome, what would that be?" said Soun with exaggerated excitement.

"Why, Ranma and Akane must be married immediately!"

"Genius! Yes, that's it!"

The two fathers looked expectantly at their children who just glared back at them.

Both families had gathered for breakfast the next morning and they had barely begun to eat before the playacting began.

Kasumi, as usual, made no indication that she had even heard the two men. Nodoka had looked worried, but slightly hopeful. This actually would be the best solution to their problems but she had learned her lesson from the last wedding and did not want to push the two before they were ready. Nabiki rolled her eyes before she looked away, knowing some things would never change.

"No." Akane said firmly before turning to her food.

"No?" Soun said, "But Akane! We must unite the schools and you cannot be engaged to two men!"

"Oh, what, so only Ranma is allowed more than one engagement?" she retorted.

"Hey!" Ranma exclaimed indignantly.

Akane gave him a small shrug and a dismissive gesture with her hand. 

"Boy! You're going to let that guy steal your fiancée? What kind of man are you? You didn't even challenge him for her hand!" Genma said, deciding it was time to join the fray.

"Pop! Why would I want to marry a..." Ranma stopped his automatic denial and looked at his fiancée, who was looking back at him expectantly, her eyebrow slightly raised. Clearing his throat, he said, "You heard Akane; no."

Five sets of eyes whipped over and looked at Ranma in surprise. Akane gave him a small smile and began to eat calmly.

"Whh-what do you mean, no?" Genma sputtered. 

"Exactly what I said, no." Ranma replied as he too began to eat.

"B-b-but, the schools!" Soun exclaimed as he whipped his head back and forth to look at his daughter and her fiancé.

Akane looked over to her father and said firmly and a bit coldly, "Daddy, I am too young to be married, and will not be pushed into it because of a mistake _you_ made years ago."

Soun looked at Genma, both completely lost as to what to do. Even though their children had always fought the engagement, they had never before done so as a united front. Without the possibility of bullying, tricking, bribing or cajoling at least one of them, there seemed to be little they could do to force a wedding.

Nodoka looked over at her son proudly, thinking that it took a real man to be able to support his fiancée while standing up to his father. It seemed that they were both finally growing up. Kasumi had shown her approval by smiling warmly at them both and refilling Ranma's bowl with twice as much rice as normal. Nabiki had just smirked at her sister and gave a small nod of her head to Ranma, giving him a toasting gesture with her tea cup. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that day, Ranma found himself at the Ono clinic. Akane was spending some time with Nabiki in her room. He had no idea what they were doing but when he walked by on his way out, he heard the middle sister laugh uproariously. It was strange hearing that sound coming from the normally stoic girl.

Ranma left the house and wandered around aimlessly, feeling restless. Normally, when Akane was busy he would stop by Ucchan's for a snack but that wasn't an option now; he still had not forgiven the chef and did not want to deal with her. His agitation from last night had not gone away, and despite Akane's reassurances, he did not trust Sota in the slightest. The guy had done nothing to earn his suspicion but it had been unheard of for a guy to _not_ want to date his fiancée. However, there was nothing he could do about it.

Oh how he wished for something he could pound on. Instead, he was sweeping the clinic floor and helping Tofu clean up so he could take Kasumi on a date. She had told the family that she was meeting a friend for dinner, being purposefully vague.

Ranma had told the doctor about the new engagement and other than Tofu turning slightly pale at the news that Soun had offered up the other two sisters instead, Tofu had been pretty non-pulsed at the idea, telling Ranma it would work out.

_It’s an easy thing for him to say_ , Ranma thought viciously, _it isn’t his girlfriend engaged to another man._

Not that Akane was his girlfriend or anything! She was just his fiancée.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Nabiki! It's not that funny!" Akane exclaimed in exasperation.

"Oh, but it is!" Nabiki said through her laughter.

Akane sent another glare at her sister before crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head away with a 'hrmph.' She just told Nabiki about her pathetic attempts at flirting with Ranma and became completely indignant when her sister had started laughing loudly, tears forming in her eyes. So much for the sisterly understanding she was looking for!

"I give up, this is never going to work," Akane whined.

After calming down, the middle Tendo sister added in her usual cool tone, "Don't give up so easily, it's not like you. Your problem is that you've never had to try before."

"Huh?"

"You've had boys falling at your feet for so long that you haven't needed to _try_ to get one of them to like you."

"Oh. Umm." Slightly embarrassed, Akane just shrugged her shoulder and said, "I guess."

Nabiki rolled her eyes at her sister's modesty. "You've got to stop trying so hard, try to let things come naturally to you. Encourage him when you think it feels right, not when you think you have to."

The blue-haired girl nodded but was still unsure of herself. Nabiki spent some time giving her more advice, this time demonstrating what she thought the petite martial artist should be doing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane Tendo looked at her opponent with a little fear in her heart. With her sensei looking on, she wanted to do her best and make them both proud. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before getting into a battle stance. Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked straight at her opponent.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

Or more correctly, some chocolate chip cookies.

"Okay, Akane, the first step is to gather all the ingredients and put them on the table."

"Yes, Aunty."

Akane didn't know if it was because of the visit from the Chiharis, but Nodoka seemed to have changed her tune about Akane’s cooking lessons. Today was the first time she was allowed to try making something all by herself. 

The petite martial artist ran around the kitchen gathering all of the ingredients and placing them on the counter in front of her. She looked up expectantly at Nodoka, who was not helping but was there to oversee her charge.

Nodoka looked over the ingredients before saying, "Very good. But this recipe calls for baking soda, not baking powder. It is an easy mistake to make but the two have very different results in recipes. And may I ask, why did you pull out the dumpling sauce?"

Akane looked down and realized that the bottle she thought was Vanilla Extract was actually a spicy dipping sauce for dumplings. She gave Nodoka a sheepish smile before replacing the two items.

"Now, measure all the ingredients before combining them."

Akane looked over the recipe and measured everything out, putting each item into their own little bowls. She was about to mix them together but Nodoka's words stopped her.

"Akane dear, can you taste a bit of the sugar and tell me what you think?"

Akane took out a teaspoon, dipped it slightly in the sugar before putting it into her mouth and immediately making a face.

"I guess I confused the sugar with the salt."

Nodoka watched as Akane tried to pour the salt back into the container through the small metal spout and tried not to laugh at the poor girl. She had gotten some salt back in - with a majority landing on the floor - before giving up and throwing the remainder in the trash. She then measured the correct amounts of sugar and salt.

"Now read the instructions and begin mixing the ingredients together."

Luckily, Akane had no more mishaps and soon had some very nice looking cookie dough in a large bowl. After she scooped out the cookie dough onto a baking sheet, she realized that some of the balls were bigger than others and hoped they would turn out okay. She put the cookies in the oven, set the timer, and wiped her hands together in satisfaction.

She had done it!

"Wonderful. Why don't you go clean up? I can pull the cookies out for you," Nodoka said, giving her a wide smile.

Akane looked down and realized that she had somehow gotten flour all over herself. Glancing around the kitchen, she was happy to see that it wasn't too messy.

"Let me clean up the kitchen really quick before putting in the next sheet of cookies. I really want to pull out the first batch myself."

When the timer rang, Akane pulled out the cookies and was happy to see that although the cookies weren't uniform in size, none of them were burnt. After putting in the second tray of cookie dough and setting the timer, she went upstairs and took a quick bath. When she came back down into the kitchen she froze at the sight in front of her.

Ranma was in the kitchen with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies in front of him. The amazing thing was he was _eating_ her cookies and smiling. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma had just finished a workout and headed towards the kitchen, hoping that his mother or Kasumi had made a snack. He walked in to see his mother plating some cookies and snuck one from the tray. Before his mother could protest, he had already taken a big bite. He sighed as the flavors hit his tongue, his mother made the best cookies. 

"Thanks, Mom," he said after swallowing the first bite.

Nodoka smiled at him indulgently before turning around to grab a small plate and a glass. She handed him the plate and then went to the refrigerator to pour him some milk and put it in front of him.

Ranma had just taken another bite of his cookie when he noticed Akane standing in the doorway. He drank some milk and swallowed before saying, "Hey 'kane, Mom made some chocolate chip cookies, you want some? They're still nice and warm!" 

The pig-tailed boy had the cookie half way to his mouth when he stopped and stared at his fiancée. Ranma had never seen Akane with such a big smile on her face before. She looked happier than he had ever seen her. She was practically beaming and he couldn't help but stare.

He snapped out of his daze when she began to walk his way. She opened her arms for a hug and she was headed straight for him! He gulped as she came closer, the anticipation making his heart beat faster. He didn't know what he did to deserve it and he didn't care. She was going to hug him! She was a step away and he closed his eyes, eagerly awaiting the embrace.

He stood there for a moment before realizing that it was taking her an awfully long time to reach him. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Akane wasn't headed for him but for his mother! He had been so distracted that he didn't notice his mother had moved to stand beside him. Disappointment washed through him and he grudgingly took a bite of his cookie, which picked his spirits up a bit. They were really good cookies. 

"Thank you, Aunty!" Akane exclaimed in excitement.

"Nonsense, you were the one who made them."

"But I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Well, you did a wonderful job and I couldn't be prouder of you," Nodoka said smiling.

Akane stepped out of the hug and gave Nodoka another beaming smile as Ranma looked on confused. During their conversation he had finished his first cookie and had started another.

Turning to face him, Nodoka said, "Ranma, I didn't make the cookies, Akane did." She then turned to Akane and explained, "My son came into the kitchen and saw me arranging the cookies and assumed I made them."

Ranma looked at his mother, then at Akane, then at the cookie in his hand, then back at his fiancée, then back to the cookie before shrugging and looking back at her. He couldn't believe that Akane had baked these cookies. He was surprised that they were just as good as his mother's. However, he didn't think it wise to express his shock.

Instead he said, "Good job on the cookies, they're great."

Akane gave him another big smile and said 'thanks' before she reached over and grabbed one for herself, eager to see what they tasted like. She bit into it and it was indeed still warm. The cookies were sweet but not overly so, they had the nice chewy texture that she loved, and the chocolate chips were still slightly melted. They really were yummy, if she did say so herself.

Ranma watched as Akane took a bite of her cookie and he could see the happiness and excitement reach her eyes when she tasted it. She made a soft moaning sound as she closed her eyes and chewed on her cookie that made his breath hitch in his chest. He stared at her, mesmerized, as her tongue darted out to lick the crumbs from her mouth, his eyes locked on her plump lips. He noticed there was a tiny bit of chocolate still left on the corner of her mouth.

She looked back at him confused and he motioned to her mouth, and said quietly, "You've got some..." He then gestured towards his own mouth. Ranma watched as a light blush formed on her face and she looked down embarrassed. His eyes had locked on her mouth once more as her tongue darted out to lick the corner of her mouth. He was completely mesmerized by the sight.

She looked up at him through hooded eyes, still slightly embarrassed and said, "Thanks."

She worried her bottom lip for a second before deciding it was a good time as any to take her sister's advice.

She reached her right hand up and gently - Nabiki had emphasized that point repeatedly - cupped his face and ran her thumb along the bottom of his mouth. She saw his eyes widened and she removed her hand quickly before he could feel her shaking from nerves.

"You had some crumbs..."

She turned to her plate so he couldn't see her face as it grew red in embarrassment and grabbed a cookie and shoved it in her mouth, almost choking on the large bite she had taken. Ranma was still frozen, staring at her and remembering the feel of her thumb running across his mouth.

Nodoka had subtly put a plate and glass of milk in front of Akane and stepped back as she quietly watched the interaction between the two. She had never seen her son and his fiancée together like this. She could clearly see the love and longing his son had for the blue-haired girl, and unless she was wrong, she saw a similar look in Akane's eyes.

They were so lost in each other's presence that they seemed to have forgotten she was still in the room with them. She walked quietly to the kitchen doors and looked back. They made quite a lovely picture, the two of them huddled together over a plate of cookies, smiling at each other. They both looked happier than she had ever seen either of them. She was determined to help both of them rid themselves of their other engagements.

Nodoka's heart warmed and she assured herself that she had been right. Akane was the right woman for her son.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Tuesday night, Mousse had surprised Ranma and Akane by coming over with a large order of take out; ten bowls of noodles, dumplings, meat buns, egg rolls, and sticky rice for dessert. It had seemed that he had called the house to prearrange the dinner as neither Kasumi nor Nodoka had been surprised by the visit. The women had placed the food on the table, with a bowl of noodles placed at each seat (two in front of both the male Saotome's usual spots) and the rest of the food in the center. When everything was set and everyone seated, the families enjoyed the wonderful meal.

Mousse had wanted to thank the family for their hospitality during his recovery, and although he didn't say it, he wanted to spend more time with people who enjoyed his company and vice versa. It still amazed Mousse that he could be so comfortable around the eccentric families. They all had such different personalities and quirks that instead of feeling like he fit in, he felt more like he didn't stick out with his own eccentricities. Especially since they seemed to accept him so easily.

After dinner he had asked Akane if she could meet him in the dojo. He was already working at Dr. Iguchi's office in the mornings to help pay off his surgery but he had yet to do anything for the youngest Tendo. He wanted to repay her for her kindness, but by Amazon law, he was not allowed to teach any outsiders secret techniques - that right was reserved only for the elders. However, he had found a loop hole he could exploit; he could teach her how to use weapons as long as he stuck to general principles.

Once they reached the dojo, the hidden weapons expert divested himself of his own personal arsenal, which took considerable time. He laid each one against the wall for Akane's perusal.

They quickly discovered that Akane had a natural affinity for blunt weapons and he decided to focus on teaching her how to quickly judge the weight and balance of a weapon. Since she never actually carried her own weapons, it was important that she be able to use any that she could get her hands on in battle.

They had finished their basic instructions when Mousse said, "So, if you end up with mace and chains, nunchucks, boomerangs, hula-hoops, or anything else that requires you to catch the item or it swings back to you in anyway, then just throw it at your opponent. Don't try to actually use it, all right? The last thing we need is to have you knock yourself out during a battle."

"I wasn't that bad with the nunchucks!" Akane said, exasperatedly.

"I disagree and the split lip you have should tell you I'm right."

"Fine!" Akane threw her hands up in the air before crossing her arms over her chest. When one weapons expert told her she was inept with certain weapons, she could possibly ignore it. But when two had the same separate assessment, she would be stupid to disregard it.

"If you can get a weapon from your opponent, then test it first if you can. Take a swing with it to test the weight so you can adjust your balance to the new weapon. In the meantime, practice with as many different weapons as possible, that way you can gauge a weapon's capability quickly. It'll also let you know the weaknesses in an opponent's weapon and how to divest them of said weapon during battle."

"Okay. Thank you for the lesson."

Akane had taken a seat with her back at the wall and placed her water bottle against her lip to help stop the swelling. She watched as Mousse put all his weapons back into his sleeves. It still amazed her how he could hide all those things on his person at any one time. She had one burning question she needed to ask him.

"Why do you fight the way you do, throwing all your weapons en mass like that? Wouldn't it be better to save some of them for later use?" She was confused when she saw a blush form on his face.

Clearing his throat, he said, "You are right of course, it would be better to keep some weapons for a long battle." When she looked at him expectantly for him to continue, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before adding, "Well...ummm...before I couldn't really see my opponent. They were a moving figure that I often confused with other objects, so I created the Hidden Weapons technique to compensate for my eye sight. My aim wasn't that great, so I targeted the general location of where I knew the opponent to be and hoped that one of the weapons would make contact."

Akane thought that was actually a pretty smart way to work around his previous disability and it explained why he didn't attack the way normal people would.

"Well, now that you can see, will you be adjusting your fighting style?"

"Yes, I have already begun to do that. I've been working on my aim and am pleased with the progress."

"Good." Akane gave him a big smile before asking, "I do have one other question, why do you use that porta-potty in your arsenal?"

"Oh, that. I use it as a distraction technique. Most people are so surprised it gives me a split second advantage."

"Yes, but during that split second you are stuck using something that makes no difference in a fight. Wouldn't it be better to save the space and pack smaller weapons? Konatsu has been teaching me how to use kunai and they would do more damage and take less space than the potty."

Mousse had finished packing away all his weapons and sat down across from Akane, Indian style. He thought over her suggestion and admitted that it had some merit, especially now that his eyesight had greatly improved.

"I will take that into consideration, thank you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a relatively quiet week and the only thing that Ranma could really complain about was that he saw Mousse more often than he would have liked. Mousse came by twice this week, the first time to deliver dinner and today to give Akane a gift. 

The latter had Ranma up in arms, thinking that Mousse was trying to win her favor but he relaxed when he realized the gift was a weapon. When Akane had opened the package, she found what looked like a normal six inch club with a small leather strap on one end. Mousse had then demonstrated the uniqueness of the weapon by slipping his hand through the strap and holding the club in his palm. He brought his arm up then down in a quick swiping motion. To Ranma and Akane's surprise, the shaft extended, creating a two foot long baton. The entire thing was made out of metal and proved to be very strong. What was more surprising was that Mousse had designed and fashioned the club himself. They learned that he often made his own weapons at home.

Ranma began to bristle again as he watched Akane fawn over the device the way other women would fawn over diamonds. He didn't know about Amazon traditions and hoped this wasn't some form of courting ritual. When Akane ran to the dojo to try out her gift against some dummies, Ranma pulled Mousse aside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled at Mousse.

"I'm going to go watch Akane try out her new baton," the Amazon said, confused. It seemed rather obvious what he was planning to do.

"Not that! What the hell are you doing giving Akane gifts?"

Mousse raised an eyebrow at the question and took a good look at Ranma. Saotome was agitated to be sure, his hands were balled into fists, his blue eyes were narrowed, and the vein on his forehead was throbbing. Mousse laughed at the turn of events; after all the time he had spent being jealous of Ranma, the tables had turned. He was sorely tempted to goad the pig-tail boy. It would be such a fitting retribution and would have been fun at the same time. However, he came over to give a gift to Akane, not cause her trouble.

Mousse cleared his throat and said, "I am merely giving Akane a gift as a token of my appreciation for all her help. I have no other designs on her."

Ranma glared at the other boy and realized that he was being sincere. He gave him a curt nod of understanding before heading off to the dojo but was stopped in his tracks by Mousse's next words.

"You know, green isn't really your color, Saotome. Instead of being worried about other men showing interest in your woman, why don't you focus on showing her your interest instead?" Mousse chuckled at Ranma's wide-eyed look as he headed towards the dojo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next afternoon, Ranma was in the family room, reading a manga. Akane had, once again, had plans for after school. She had told him that she was meeting Yuka and Sayuri for some 'girl time' - whatever that meant - but she had to first speak to one of their teachers about a project. He was glad that she had kept her promise and told him exactly where she would be, even if he knew she didn't want to. She would be home for dinner and until then, he was bored. She had been so busy lately that Ranma had really begun to miss the time they spent together.

The phone started ringing, which he studiously ignored. No one ever called for him. If someone wanted to talk to him, they usually just came to the house unannounced, rarely even using the front door.

He vaguely heard Kasumi answer the phone but she caught his attention when her voice became high and worried.

"What do you mean someone took her?"

At her words, Ranma ran over to Kasumi to see her visibly shaken, "Kasumi, what's wrong?"

"It's Sayuri, she said someone's taken Akane!"

"What?!" Ranma quickly grabbed the phone from Kasumi and frantically asked, "Sayuri, what happened?!"

_"Ranma, is that you?"_

"Yes, what happened?"

_"We-we were walking down the street to meet Akane. She was a block away from us when a car pulled up and someone opened the door. Suddenly they grabbed Akane by the arms and pulled her in! And then...then they just drove off!"_

Ranma felt the fear welling inside of him and he viciously pushed it down. This was not the time to panic. He needed to find her and fast.

"Where are you?"

_"We found the nearest pay phone and called you as soon as we could."_

"Where was she taken?"

_"Right in front of the Neko Hanten."_


	12. Arc III: Engagements, Chapter: Goodbye

It was his fault. 

All his fucking fault.

After Jusendo, he had known exactly how far Shampoo was willing to go to get what she wanted. He wouldn't forget the malicious look in the Amazon's eyes while she held a dehydrated Akane in her hands and threatened to kill her. Then after the lengths Ranma had gone through to save his fiancée, Shampoo had thrown bombs at her at the wedding.

And what had he done about it?

Nothing.

He hadn't done a damn thing and now they had taken her! If Shampoo or Cologne had done something to Akane, he would never forgive himself.

Ranma ran full out towards the Neko Hanten when Sayuri had told him that Akane had been taken from their front door. His anger grew with each step, until the ball of rage festered in his chest.

_If they did anything to her, they would only live long enough to regret it_ , Ranma thought viciously.

Soon, Ranma burst through the doors of the restaurant and stood in a slightly defensive position as he scanned the restaurant. It seemed that they were still setting up for the dinner rush as Shampoo was setting the tables and the restaurant was empty.

She looked up in surprise at the sudden intrusion and her eyes narrowed at the sight of her airen. Normally, she would have loved a visit from Ranma but she was still angry at the incident with the egg tarts.

After she had run off, Happosai had started to chase after her and was surprisingly fast for an old pervert. He had been gaining on her and she knew that she couldn't take the Grand Master on her own. With very few options, she had ran towards the canal and jumped in, turning instantly into her feline form.

What was worse was she had to spend two days as a cat to wait for the potion to wear off. Happosai had been persistent in stalking the restaurant and even her great-grandmother had been unable to get rid of him. Not that she tried that hard. She had cackled when she found out about the failed plan and told Shampoo that she would just have to hide out until the potion was out of the old coot's system.

If things had gone her way, Shampoo would have spent those two days in a much more favorable way. As it was, she was still angry at Ranma for giving away those tarts and completely ignored the fact that it was her fault she had been stuck in such an embarrassing position.

However, she knew that if she wanted to win Ranma, she would have to play to his ego and wait to make him pay for his part in the debacle.

Putting on a seductive smile, she sashayed towards him and said, "Ranma, you come take Shampoo date now?"

The pig-tailed boy looked directly at her and narrowed his eyes as he growled out, "Where is Akane?"

Shampoo bristled at the mention of her rival. "No know where Pervert Girl is. No matter, we go out, yes?"

"Dammit, Shampoo! I know she was taken from here. Tell me where she is!"

Suddenly, the Amazon thought of a brilliant idea to finally get some time alone with her airen.

"Fine. You take me on date and I tell you where kitchen wrecker at,” she said slyly.

Having been solely focused on herself and her own anger, she didn’t notice the state of agitation Ranma was in and completely missed the warning signs that this was not a time to mess with the pig-tailed boy.

Ranma narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw tight. He knew it! It was their fault and if they hurt Akane in anyway, they would pay. With an angry growl, he grabbed Shampoo by the arms, and before she could blink, he drew her up until she was eye level to him. He was gripping her so hard that she winced at the pain. It was then that Shampoo finally took a good look at Ranma. Her eyes widened at the sight. Ranma's battle aura had turned black, and for once in her life, Shampoo became a little frightened.

"Don't FUCK with me, where is she?!" he snarled furiously as he shook her.

"Son-in-law, what is the meaning of this?" Cologne called out sternly from the entry of the kitchen. 

She had come to the main dining area as soon as Ranma stormed into the restaurant, sensing his dangerous battle aura, and came out to investigate. She had watched their entire interaction and only interrupted when she realized that her great granddaughter was in danger.

"Shampoo has taken Akane and I want her back!" Ranma spat out, not letting go of the female warrior. In his anger, his grip tightened around her arms, causing her to wince.

"She has done no such thing. She has been here with me all afternoon."

"Then why did she say she would give her back?"

Cologne sighed, "My granddaughter just wanted to use this as an opportunity to get herself a date. Isn't that right, child?"

"Yes. I no know where she is," Shampoo said nervously.

“Then who could’ve taken Akane?” Ranma growled. “She was kidnapped right in front of your door!”

"Shampoo does not have Akane and I swear to you that we were not involved," Cologne said firmly.

She had no idea that the blue-haired girl was even missing and had no clue who would have wanted to do her harm. The Elder Amazon just hoped the girl was safe. While Akane was a rival for Shampoo, Cologne had no ill will towards her. She even liked her a little bit, despite having previously used her as bait. With her natural talent and spunk, she would have made a good Amazon, which was high praise indeed.

Ranma glared at the elder for a long moment but did not sense any deception. Looking back at Shampoo, he let go of her quickly, as if she was contagious, and took a step away.

"Where is Mousse?"

"Stupid blind duck go out sweep doorway, no come back," Shampoo scoffed, trying to regain her composure. Amazons were not to show fear.

"I told you, we were not involved. Mousse had no hand in this."

Ranma was confident of that. After spending time with the Tendos, he was sure Mousse would not harm Akane, but he was hoping to find the male amazon so he could get some help in finding his missing fiancée.

Now that he found out that the Amazons had nothing to do with the kidnapping, he was starting to feel desperate again. He needed to find her before anything happened to her. He turned around to leave but was stopped by a tug of his arm. He turned back around to see Shampoo holding his left arm with a determined look on her face.

"No! You no leave! You stay with Shampoo and leave stupid pervert girl..."

Whatever Shampoo was about to say, Ranma would never know because suddenly she was sprawled on the floor, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide as she looked at him in fear and shock.

Ranma looked down at his right hand, slightly confused as to what happened.

He had slapped her across the face.

He reacted so instinctually that he was a little surprised by his reaction. He had just felt such rage that she would speak about Akane like that that he lashed out. She had said degrading things about Akane before and he had always brushed it aside.

But not this time.

Not when he was already furious at Shampoo and sick with worry over Akane. And when he needed to be out searching for his fiancée, the Amazon warrior was just wasting his valuable time making up lies and now trying to stop him from leaving.

He felt absolutely no guilt over the act.

He looked back at her with cold blue eyes. "Don't touch me again." He turned to walk away but stopped and added threateningly, "If I find out you had something to do with this, I will hunt you down and I will give you my own kiss of death."

He walked out without looking back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was a small part of Ranma that doubted Cologne’s honesty but he didn't want to waste valuable time getting into a fight with the Amazons. He needed to find Akane fast and any further confrontations with them would have only wasted more time.

With no other leads, he headed over to Ucchan's to see if she had seen or heard anything. He didn't for a minute think she had anything to do with the kidnapping but maybe he would get lucky and she would know something.

He had still not seen Ukyo since that disastrous “date,” having still been upset at her comments. But this was no time for hurt feelings or whatever awkwardness there may be between them. Akane was in danger and that took priority over everything else.

Unlike the Neko Hanten, Ukyo did a bulk of her business with the after school crowd hoping to get a quick snack before headed home or to their various activities. When he walked in, the restaurant was crowded and Ukyo was already busy at her grill, preparing okonomiyakis. She looked up to greet the new arrival and smiled when she saw it was her Ran-chan. She hadn't seen him since their disastrous date and was glad he finally got over his snit and came in for a snack. She knew he couldn't resist her cooking.

"Hiya, Ranchan! Why don't you…?"

"Do you know where Akane is?" Ranma gruffly interrupted.

The smile dropped from the chef’s face as she narrowed her eyes. Why the hell was he asking her about the blue-haired girl?

With a roll of her eyes, she said, "Why would I have any idea where she is? Now, if you're gonna eat, sit down..."

"Where's Konatsu?"

Her temper flaring, she said, "First, you ask about _her_ , then you ask about him. What the hell did you come in here for, Sugar? Do I look like an information booth?"

"Damn it, Ukyo! Where the hell is he?!" Ranma screamed.

The restaurant went silent at the outburst as the okonomiyaki chef and the patrons looked at him in concern. Most of the customers were students at Furinkan and were used to Ranma's antics but they had never seen him in this state. The normally jovial martial artist was uncharacteristically furious.

Ukyo, being the only trained martial artist in the room besides Ranma, saw his battle aura as he stood in the doorway of the small restaurant. She gulped at the sight of him.

This was not her Ran-chan. _Her_ Ran-chan was easy going and fun, even when he was stressed out. This man in front of her looked dangerous and capable of doing some real damage in his current state.

The chef cleared her throat nervously and said, "I-I don't know where he is. I sent him to hand out some fliers and he hasn't come back yet."

Ranma growled in frustration and walked out, not noticing all the stares he got from his classmates.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The only other piece of information that Sayuri had given him was the general direction that the car had traveled. He ran down the street but with no idea where to look, he felt lost. There were no signs of Akane and he didn't even know what to look _for_. There was nothing in this general direction but shops and he had hit another residential area before he decided to check the park.

The panic was welling up inside of him. All the other times Akane had been kidnapped, he had at least found some sort of clue as to who had taken her or her whereabouts. But this time he was completely lost. He didn't even know what kind of car was used to take Akane. He had left so quickly after hearing about the Amazons that he didn't even bother to listen to anything else Sayuri had to say.

After searching the park, Ranma was at a loss as to what to do. His heart was thumping in his chest and his palms were sweating. He was wasting so much time running around in circles! Maybe he had been too naive in believing the Amazons. Maybe Ukyo did know more than she let on. He was getting desperate and he punched a large rock near the kids’ playground, smashing in into small bits.

That had made him feel slightly better.

He decided to head home in hopes that Akane had somehow freed herself and was there. If nothing else, he could get any details he missed from Kasumi or call Sayuri to see what else he might be able to find out.

He was making his way quickly towards the Tendo compound when he noticed a quartet of very well dressed individuals walking towards him. He paid them no mind until the lone female smiled at something one of her comrades said and he stopped dead in his tracks.

He would recognize that smile anywhere.

He rushed forward and grabbed her tightly into his arms as his body trembled in relief. 

She was there. She was fine.

"Ranma...can't...breathe..." Akane gasped out.

Ranma quickly let her go and took a step back and took perusal of her. She looked fine. Better than fine actually. She was wearing a blue shift dress with an asymmetrical cut at the neck with a pair of black pointy toe kitten heels and carrying a matching handbag that he had never seen before. Other than the fact that she was breathing heavily, she seemed to be in perfect health.

"Where were you?! What the hell happened?! Sayuri called and said you had been kidnapped."

"Oh, I totally forgot about Sayuri and Yuka! I hope they aren't too worried," Akane said, her brows furrowed.

Closing his eyes, the pig-tailed boy took a deep breath. She was definitely fine if she was more worried about her friends than herself.

"Focus, Akane! What the hell happened?!"

His fiancée shook her head and gave him a smile, waving her hand dismissively. "I was kidnapped, but it was a misunderstanding."

Ranma sputtered at that. "A misunderstanding? How the hell can a kidnapping be a misunderstanding?"

"Well, you see, Mrs. Chihari told her husband that she wanted to see me immediately and that he was not to take 'no' for an answer. In his...eagerness to please her, Mr. Chihari got a little...overzealous in...retrieving me," Akane said, carefully choosing her words so she would not anger her fiancé. He was always so touchy when it came to things like this.

"Damn it! I knew they couldn't be trusted! What the hell did Sota want with you? He didn't touch you, did he?" he growled out through clenched teeth. If he so much as touched a hair on her head, Ranma planned to break that pretty boy’s hands. 

"No,” Akane quickly reassured him, “I told you, his mother wanted to talk to me. Sota had nothing to do with this."

"That's right, we heard all about it. Mrs. Chihari was very apologetic for her husband's behavior and her son was embarrassed to say the least. I'm afraid that Mr. Chihari will be in the dog house for a while."

Ranma looked around to see who was talking to him. He had been so focused on Akane that he completely forgot that she had been walking with three other people. He had recognized the voice but the kunoichi he had been expecting to see was not there. Instead, standing in front of him was a rather dandy-looking male in a charcoal three piece suit, white dress shirt, wide knotted stripped tie with a matching pocket square, top hat and cane, hair pulled into a low ponytail.

Ranma moved away from Akane and put his face directly in front of the other man's, taking a good look at his features and then stepping back to run his eyes over the his attire. He bent over and poked the man slightly on his face with his forefinger.

"Konatsu?"

The man in question gave him a wide smile and waved his right hand at him frantically back and forth, saying, "Hiya, Ranma!" He then gave Ranma a flirtatious wink and blew him a kiss. 

_Yup, that's Konatsu alright_ , Ranma thought. He then looked over to see who else was there. 

On the other side of Akane was Taro, also in new clothes. He was wearing some dark-wash jeans, a black leather motorcycle jacket with a dark blue dress shirt underneath, black boots and silver aviators perched on his nose. Next to him was Mousse wearing a dark blue suit, a black dress shirt with mandarin style collar underneath, with black dress shoes and a knee length black wool coat. The only thing about him that hadn’t changed was his hairstyle.

"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on? How come you three are with her?"

"Well, you see, I was delivering flyers near the Neko Hanten when I saw Akane being pulled into a car!" Konatsu began, waving his arms wildly as he spoke.

"I was walking towards the dojo on the way to see Nabiki when it happened," Taro added in a bored tone.

"And I was out sweeping the sidewalk in preparations for the dinner rush. I looked up just in time to see the car stop and Akane dragged inside. The car took off before I could do anything but I dropped my broom and started running after it when suddenly I was joined by these two," Mousse added calmly.

"We chased after them but the car was going too fast! I had to rip off my kimono during the chase so I could keep up."

"I told them I was going to change into my Chimera form to follow the car from the air."

"But I thought it was a bad idea. His form is too easily detected. I thought it better to follow them in my cursed form since no one looks twice at a flying duck."

"I agreed with him. Not knowing who the culprit was, I thought we needed the element of surprise."

"So I splashed duck boy with my water bottle and he flew off after the car."

"I made sure to keep the car in my vision while also allowing these two to follow me."

"We had only gone a few miles when we found Mousse circling outside an empty store that I have been dying to see open! That chain makes the cutest little dresses!"

"When we reached the store, Donald here was waiting for us near the alley and I splashed him with my thermos."

"When I got there, they had already gone inside and I had no information on Akane's well-being. So I circled the building trying to look inside but I couldn't see anything."

"We quickly made a game plan and decided to sneak into the building. Oh, it was so exciting!"

"We followed the Princess of Power over here inside and quickly found Akane with a group of people we had never seen before."

"I took out my lasso and had it wrapped around Akane, pulling her back towards us, as the other two moved forward to fight the group off."

Ranma listened and watched with rapt attention. He felt like the three men were talking with some sort of script as they had been talking in sequence going from Konatsu to Taro to Mousse and back again in a sort of perfect harmony. Somehow this unlikely trio had managed to pull off Akane's rescue without his help and bonded at the same time.

"It was quiet jarring to be pulled back and suddenly surrounded. The Chiharis had acted quickly, thinking I was being attacked and they had all taken defensive positions. Luckily, they had been surprised and took a split second to respond, or they wouldn't have heard me scream at everyone to stop. They all just stared at me while I tried to explain what was happening. I can only imagine what would have happened if everyone got into a fight," Akane added.

She had been listening to the story just as attentively as Ranma. Her three friends had just begun to tell her the story when Ranma had pulled her into the bone crushing hug. While the hug itself was nice – being held by her fiancé always felt good – she did feel badly that he had been worried about her. 

"As it was, Mr. Chihari was the only one to get hurt from the incident. After Akane had told everyone that the confusion was caused by him abducting her, Mrs. Chihari had slapped him on the back of his head and Sota then punched him in the arm, sending him flying across the room, and yelling at him for his stupidity," Konatsu added with a giggle. "It was amazing! We totally worked together like a well-oiled machine!"

Konatsu had pursed his lips together and moved his arms exaggeratedly in some karate chopping motions before he moved down so that he rested his weight on his back right leg, his left leg extended in front of him, his right arm at a right angle over his head and his left arm extended over his left leg. His back was now facing the group.

Mousse then walked towards Konatsu and balanced himself on one foot, the other brought up at a right angle with his foot tucked beneath him. His arms were raised wide and up over his shoulders his wrists angled down and his hands imitating claws. His back towards Konatsu's back.

Taro rolled his eyes at the other two's antics before he walked over to the pair and stood in the empty middle spot. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, keeping his legs shoulder distance apart.

A car drove by right then, illuminating the trio from behind so all that Ranma could see was the outline of their forms.

Akane giggled at the sight. Unlike Ranma, she was in a great mood. While her day was definitely strange, it had turned out to be rather fun. When Mr. Chihari pulled his car over to say hello to her, she was pleased to see him and greeted him warmly. Even after he had pulled her into the car, she had been only slightly annoyed, thinking she would be late to meet her friends. When Mr. Chihari had explained the situation and insisted she come with him, she relented. It had just seemed so important to the poor man. She promised herself that she would make it up to her friends for standing them up and she hadn’t for a moment thought that people would think she had been abducted.

Ranma just rolled his eyes at the trio and thought, _At least someone enjoyed themselves today_.

"You guys done? Can we get back on topic now? Why did Mrs. Chihari want to see you so desperately anyway?" Ranma asked as he turned to look at his fiancée.

Akane's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh! Sota finally asked his girlfriend to marry him, and Tatsuki - that's her name - said yes! He told his parents today and explained everything to them. The Chihari's were very understanding about it. When Sota told them about our agreement, Mrs. Chihari wanted to talk to me and apologize for any problems she may have caused. I even got to meet Tatsuki, who is very nice. Mrs. Chihari then asked me if I would still like to have that shopping day with her and Tatsuki. She even asked if your mother would join us. I think she wants to make up for their first meeting."

"And they invited me too!" Konatsu said, bouncing up and down, clapping his hands together, and added, "It's going to be a total girls’ day! I just can't wait."

"They were very apologetic over the entire thing and tried to make it up to us. They outfitted us with all these new clothes using Martial Arts Tailoring, even adding personal touches to everything. My coat has easy hooks for all my weapons on the inside and easy to remove straps for the items in my sleeve," Mousse added. To emphasize his point he opened his jacket wide and Ranma was surprised to see that every inch of the jacket was completely lined with different weapons. He couldn't help but be impressed by the ingenuity of the design.

"Yeah, they were cool about it. My jacket has pockets for my water bottle and my thermos, both are insulated to keep the water temperature cold and hot for longer periods," Taro said, pulling out both a water bottle and thermos from the inside of his leather coat.

"My jacket has built in lining too but the best part is this!" Konatsu put his bag down and pulled out a purple dress. He draped the top part over his arms and poked them gently, "Look, built in Pepper Breast Bomb slots!"

Akane piped in next, "My new dress has a hidden band of ninja stars". She brought her hands to the center of her dress and pulled on the center to reveal a band lined with stars. "They even modified my school uniform so that I have the same hidden band and pockets to hold the baton that Mousse made me and some kunai."

Everyone seemed just so freaking happy which only pissed Ranma off.

"So what? We are just going to forget what happened? You are just going to forgive them? They kidnapped you, Akane!"

Behind Akane, Mousse and Taro eyed each other.

"What kind of sick bastard kidnaps someone?"

The pair sweat-dropped.

"I mean, it takes a real sociopath just to take someone off the street like that!"

The duo hunched over, black waves of misery wafting off of them.

Konatsu stood next to them, smiling innocently. Akane had been kidnapped when they first met, but unlike the other two, he was not involved in the process. 

Akane cleared her throat, "It was an honest mistake. There's nothing to forgive, there was no harm done."

"Yeah, they didn't seem so bad," Taro chimed in.

"Forgive and forget is what I say," Mousse added.

Ranma rolled his eyes and glared at the two. 

At that point Taro decided it was best if he left. "Alright, I'm already late meeting Nabiki. She may be mad but I’m sure she will appreciate my new threads. And once I tell her how I heroically tried to save her sister, I'm sure she'll be _very_ appreciative." He wiggled his eyebrows in a lascivious way at Akane before taking off, a huge grin on his face.

"Yes, I must be going too. The dinner rush should have started by now." Mousse gave them a short bow before walking off in the other direction.

"Oh yes! I'm sure that Miss Ukyo will need my help too! Ta!" Konatsu said, wiggling his fingers at them as he rushed to join Mousse.

Still smiling, Akane looked over to see Ranma still glaring and her smile faltered.

"You're not still upset are you? I mean, I'm fine. Nothing happened."

Yes, Ranma was definitely still upset. Now that the danger was over and she was safe, he felt...useless. He had done absolutely nothing to save her. It did not matter that she never needed saving, _he_ should have been there to find her. It should have been _him_ at the store rescuing her. _He_ should have been there to confront the Chiharis. But he had done nothing. He had just been spinning his wheels, wasting his time with the Amazons and Ukyo while Taro, Konatsu, and Mousse had beentherefor her.

She was his responsibility. She was his to protect. She was HIS, period.

He had never felt so impotent before and he didn't like it.

"I-I wasn't...there...I should've been..." he sputtered, frustrated.

Akane, wanting to comfort him, said, "It's okay, I didn't need you to save me, I was never in danger."

Unfortunately, selective hearing wasn't just a trait only Akane suffered from and all Ranma heard was, " _I didn't need you_."

He stiffened. His world seemed to spin around him as the words repeated in his head over and over again, as if they were neon signs flying around his head.

_She doesn't need me,_ Ranma thought grimly.

Akane stared at Ranma, her concern growing. She couldn't understand why he was so upset. It was a good thing that she hadn't been in danger, right?

She walked slowly to him and put her hand on his arm, "Ranma, are you okay?"

Ranma looked up at her and she could see the confusion on his face. He said slowly, enunciating each word, "You don't need me."

Slowly, it dawned on her that he was hurt. It made sense that Ranma, who had always been at the center of all the activity in their lives, would have felt left out at not being part of her "rescue," as it were. It made it worse that she had been "saved" by someone other than him.

She took a deep breath and chose her words carefully, saying, "I don't need you. I never needed you."

Ranma felt sharp pains in his chest at her comment, almost like she were stabbing him with each word.

"The truth is, I was fine before you came here and if..." Akane closed her eyes as the next words would hurt her too. "If you left today or tomorrow, I would still be fine."

Ranma's breath became ragged. He couldn't understand why she was saying these things. Why she would just dismiss him like that. He stared at her until she brought her gaze up to lock eyes with him.

"But...My life is better with you here. Wouldn't you rather than I want..." Her face growing red she looked down at her hands as she began to ring them in nervousness. "Isn't it better that I...like having you around? Instead of only wanting you here because I need you to protect me?" she said softly.

Ranma's expression softened as he looked at her. He could tell how nervous and embarrassed she was at making such a declaration. Hell, he felt nervous just listening to it. He knew just how hard it was for her - for both of them - to admit to anything involving their emotions. His heart warmed at her admission. He was almost giddy by what she said. It was a little overwhelming actually, like an emotional whiplash going from one extreme to another.

Of course she was right. One of the things that was unique about Akane was she liked him for him. Not as some prize, property, or something to win. She saw him as a person who was more than just his martial arts skill or good looks. She, more than any of the other girls, knew all his faults but still _liked_ having him around. She didn't need him to fulfill some engagement contract to restore her honor or to fulfill some self-imposed Amazon laws. Akane _wanted_ him...sort of.

He didn't know what to say, though. He had never been good with words and when his emotions were jumbled up inside wasn't the time when he was suddenly going to figure it out. Suddenly, he became nervous himself and he looked at his shoes, rubbing the back of his neck.

Clearing his throat he said, "Yeah that's..." _Perfect. Wonderful. Everything I ever hoped for._

"...good."

He winced at his completely inadequate choice of words. If it were possible to dope slap himself, he would have.

Not that Akane cared. She had finally been able to admit how much she liked having him there…kind of. And he admitted that he liked the idea…sort of. While it wouldn’t be much to most people, it meant the world to her and she felt all warm inside.

They stood there a second longer before Akane looked up and said, "Let's go home."

Turning and walking a few steps forward, Ranma asked curiously, "'kane?”

The blue-haired girl paused, wondering if he had something else he wanted to say. “Yes, Ranma?” she asked.

“Um, what's a chimera?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once more, Ranma found himself on the roof above Akane's room. At this point, he was wondering if there was a way to make a bed, or maybe a tiny fort out there so he could be more comfortable. As it was, he had brought his sleeping bag and a pillow out with him.

When they finally returned home, they had been greeted by a nervous family, full of crying (Soun), fussing (Nodoka), hand wringing (Kasumi), and yelling (Genma). It had taken them a while to calm everyone down and tell their story. Taro had come by to tell them that Akane was fine but until they saw her with their own eyes, no one was able to relax except for Nabiki, who quickly left the house for her date.

Once the rest of the family learned that the engagement with the Chiharis had been officially resolved, they broke out into cheer. The fathers brought out there ever faithful victory flags and danced around the room. Nodoka had hugged them both and felt sheepish when she learned what Akane had planned, thinking she should have had more faith in her future daughter-in-law. Her already high-opinion of the girl increased at how she handled the problem with such ease. Kasumi was so pleased she rushed to the kitchen to prepare an even larger meal than normal.

By the time dinner came around, things had returned to normal, giving Ranma some time to think about the day. He realized quickly that Akane was still in danger. His actions that afternoon had made her a direct target for the Amazons. He had declared Akane the true obstacle in the Amazons' desire to take him to China, and everyone knew what Amazons did to obstacles. Even if they had known where his loyalties lied before today, his behavior would have been like waving a red cape at a bull.

He sighed, thinking he could have handled the situation better but he still had no regrets. His confrontation with the Amazons had been coming on for a while and he was a little relieved that his "engagement" to Shampoo would finally be addressed. He still felt no guilt in slapping her.

The idea of hitting a girl still turned his stomach but he had enough of her crap. With everything she had put him through - put them through - he was done feeling sorry for her. He knew full well that he was responsible for a lot of the problems he had with Akane but Shampoo had made the situation worse by always putting him in compromising positions. He had done nothing about it before – and winced when he thought of his idiotic reactions to the reversal jewel – but that ended now.

He didn't think they would be stupid enough to make a move on Akane tonight, but he wasn't willing to risk it. One near heart attack in a day was enough for him. So he had decided to sleep on the roof that night. He'd done it before - albeit against his will - and was much more comfortable this time. It also gave him some time to formulate exactly what he wanted to say, for this was one time he had to make his intentions crystal clear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Right after breakfast the next morning, Ranma snuck out of the house while Akane was helping Kasumi with the dishes. He didn't want to tell her what he was planning to do, knowing that she would want to go with him. Which, in his mind, was the worst thing she could do. He didn't need her presence to flame the fires, and when Shampoo and Akane were around each other, a combustion was almost always guaranteed.

To assuage his guilt - and keep his promise to Akane - he had told his mother where he was headed, but did not tell her his plans. She had frowned at him but had not verbalized any of her displeasure.

It was still fairly early and he was sure he would make it to the restaurant before they began to prep for the lunch rush. While he was determined to go through with it, he began to feel more nervous with each step. Part of him wanted to back out and not have to deal with them and he was ashamed of it. Ranma Saotome was no coward.

But the larger part of him was sick of it all. He didn't want to deal with their scheming and manipulations anymore. He steeled himself as he opened the door to the Neko Hanten. Sitting at one of the tables was Cologne, sipping on a cup of tea.

At the sound of the door opening, Cologne looked up to see Ranma standing at the door. She had been watching Ranma for almost two years now and she had never seen him as angry as and on the verge of losing control as he was the previous night. Not even when she had temporarily taken his manhood away from him. She was glad that he seemed calmer and was surprised at his visit. She thought that he would be avoiding them for a while, but seeing him standing there so early in the morning was not a good sign.

"Son-in-law, what a surprise. Have you come to marry my great granddaughter?" she said in her crackly voice. She knew this standard greeting always annoyed him, but she didn't want to let on that she knew anything was wrong.

Ranma wanted to growl at the greeting, but for once, recognized her need to bait him. There was no way she would just brush aside his treatment of Shampoo yesterday. Ignoring her taunt, he said, "Cologne, we need to talk." Ranma walked over and sat down directly across from her, twining his fingers together and putting them on the top of the table as he looked directly at her. "I'm never going to marry Shampoo. I'm never going back to China with you. It's over," he said bluntly.

There. He'd done it.

Cologne cackled, surprised that Ranma was finally able to express himself so clearly. But that didn't mean she had to give up.

"By law you belong to Shampoo."

"I don't belong to anyone, least of all her. Hell, I barely like her, there is no way I'd marry her."

"THAT NOT TRUE! You want Shampoo! I see it with my eyes!" came a shrill cry that made Cologne and Ranma turn towards the entryway of the kitchen.

Shampoo had also heard the door open from the kitchen where she was beginning to prepare the broth for the day. She walked towards the entrance and stopped when she saw Ranma and had hid behind the parting door to spy on the pair at the table.

Normally, she would have run out to give him a big affectionate kiss, but today was different. For the first time since she had met his male side, she did not want to see him. She had spent all day yesterday feeling uncertain and she didn't like it.

She had been absolutely stunned when he had slapped her across the face. It wasn't a punch or a kick, he didn't even use his fists. He used his open palm and struck her as if she were some meek Japanese woman. It was so humiliating to be treated like that. She was an _Amazon_ _warrior_. And you did not treat warriors like that.

After getting over her shock, she had become angry. Angry that he dared treat her like that! Angry that he was still rejecting her. Angry that she was stuck in this stupid country. Angry that she could not go home with her prize.

But a part of her had become frightened of him. She had seen him angry before but she had never been on the receiving end of his anger like that. Even before she came to Japan, Ranma could beat her in a fight. But after all the training he received since then, she knew she was no competition for him. She was sure that he could even beat great grandmother if he wanted to; there was no way even she could beat a god.

So when Ranma came in, she stayed in the back, worried about how he would react to her. Another part of her still held out hope that he had come to declare his love for her, she always had that spark of hope in her whenever he came into the restaurant. But what she got was completely the opposite.

Ranma looked directly into Shampoo's eyes. He let the anger and the frustration he'd been feeling since the failed wedding spur him on. 

"Yes, you're hot. I get turned on when a completely naked woman throws herself at me," he admitted with a shrug, showing it didn't matter to him. "But even if the sprinklers hadn't gone off that night, I would never have had sex with you. I will admit that when you first saw me as a guy I was tempted by your looks but after getting to know you, I wouldn't have sex with you if my life depended on it. While you are physically attractive, you disgust me."

Shampoo reared back, his words were as effective a slap as the one he gave her yesterday. Ranma, for once, pushed down any sympathy for the girl by bringing up the image of her with a malicious look on her face holding a dehydrated Akane in her hand.

"Did you think that I would ever forgive you for threatening to kill Akane when she was defenseless? That you kept her cure from me for your own selfish reasons? That after I saved her you showed up at her home and threw bombs at her?!" he spat out in rage.

"I...I under Kiima's control. Not my fault!" Shampoo said, trying to defend herself, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"Don't fucking lie to me! Kiima wanted you to kill me, she didn't want you to use Akane so you could 'make memories' with me. That was all you! You've been wanting to kill Akane since you met her and I don't even want to think about all the times you may have tried!"

Shampoo shrunk back in fear as she watched his battle aura flare and begin to darken. His hands were fisted and his furious gaze never left hers.

"Ranma, she will be punished if she returns home without you. She has now failed in her attempt to kill you when she thought you were a girl and to secure you as a husband. Her punishment will be sever; she could even be put to death," Cologne said, trying to play to his sense of guilt.

Ranma watched as Shampoo paled and she began to shake. He didn't want her to die but he wasn't going to live the rest of his life married to her to prevent it. Turning his head, he looked at Cologne with disgust.

"Whose fault is that? I beat her as a girl in a _tournament_ and she gave me the kiss of death. If she wasn't so fucking petty she would have accepted her defeat and let it go. But no, she chased me to Japan to enact her revenge. Then when she showed up here, I kicked the chui out of her hand and it accidentally knocked her out, and she gave me the kiss of marriage. If you want to blame someone, blame her lack of impulse control!" Ranma yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Shampoo. "And it's your Amazon laws that would force her to be killed over something so stupid! So if you don't like it, blame your tribe, not me."

Cologne looked at Ranma's determination and anger and knew it was over. They had lost. He had not been even slightly moved by the thought that Shampoo could lose her life. The Amazon elder had always depended on his honor and own lack of self-awareness to manipulate him into doing things. She had banked on his refusal to admit to his own feelings to get him into coming with them back to the village.

But it seemed that the events in China had changed things. There was no way that Ranma would ever go willingly with them now, and after his fights with Herb and Saffron, she was concerned at what he would do if they cornered him and somehow forced him along. He could do major damage to the tribe before he was stopped. As much as she wanted him for the tribe, Cologne did not want blood shed over the matter, and she knew from experience how quickly a situation could escalate.

Thinking of the good of the village, Cologne said, "Okay, Ranma. As an elder of the Joketsuzoku, I hereby release you from the kiss of death and the kiss of marriage."

"Great-grandmother, no!"

"Hush!"

Ranma was a little taken aback by how quickly the old woman had acquiesced. He was sure the argument would take more time. He wasn't going to press his luck by pushing the matter, though he had one more concern he needed to address.

"I want the kiss of death Shampoo gave Akane to be nulled too."

Ranma watched as a look of surprise came over Cologne's face as she looked at Shampoo, who had, if possible, gotten paler. It was clear that she had not told Cologne about this part of her adventure. He cursed himself for bringing it to Cologne's attention; had he put Akane in more danger? But then he realized that the issue needed to be handled, he didn't want Shampoo to try to sneak in and hurt his fiancée because the kiss of death had been left unresolved.

Cologne closed her eyes and shook her head almost imperceptibly. She didn't think her granddaughter would be so careless as to give another kiss of death when she had struggled so much to fulfill the first one. She admitted to herself that maybe Ranma was right and Shampoo was too impulsive, which was not a good trait for a warrior to have. Especially if that warrior wanted to be a future leader of the tribe. Before she could figure out how to handle the situation, Ranma's words interrupted her.

"If anything, and I mean _anything_ , happens to Akane and I find either of you had to do with it, I will make you pay, even if I had to chase _you_ back to China."

With another sigh, Cologne said, "Fine. The kiss of death given to Akane is dissolved. I swear, on my honor as an Elder, that no harm will be done to her by any Amazon from our tribe." Cologne looked sternly at Shampoo while she made the statement to make sure she understood the order. Shampoo only nodded mutely in response.

Ranma still didn't trust either of them. He knew that Amazon honor was a flexible thing but Cologne had at least been good to her word in the past. Besides, there was little more he could do short of declaring a blood feud with Shampoo and he knew that would escalate to include her entire village. 

Ranma stood up and gave her a short bow saying, "Thank you, Cologne." He turned to leave but stopped when the sound of Shampoo's voice reached his ears.

"Ranma..." Shampoo began but hesitated.

He turned to look at her and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. He wavered, feeling sorry for her. A crying girl had always been his weakness. But he only had to think of Akane to firm his resolve.

"Why you no love me? Why never give chance?" Shampoo asked in confusion. She was beautiful and the pride of her tribe, so she couldn't understand why he didn't want her.

"Shampoo, you chased me all across China, trying to kill me. I would have forgiven you that but then you tried to kill Akane. When you came back, you and Cologne only ever tried to manipulate me into marrying you. You have never, not once, given thought to being my friend, to getting to know me. That was all I wanted."

Shampoo was still confused. She had been trained to be powerful and take what she wanted. She knew nothing of making friends, much less with a man.

Ranma could see that his words made no difference, she could not understand him, would never understand him. And that was the crux of the problem. He sighed and said, "Bi Lao, Shampoo."

The two women watched as he walked out without a backward glance. Cologne sighed. She had truly enjoyed her time in Japan and was sad to see it end. After she was sure he was gone, Cologne said loudly, "Mousse, come on out. I know you're there."

Shampoo spun in indignation, her face growing red in anger. She had been so focused on Ranma that she did not sense Mousse’s presence. It was one thing to be rejected by Ranma, but it was humiliating that Mousse had witnessed her shame.

"Yes, elder," Mousse called out as he walked forward.

Before her granddaughter could do anything foolish, she said, "Leave. We have much to discuss that does not concern you. Do not return until tomorrow."

Mousse gave a short nod of his head and walked out the door.

Cologne, unlike Shampoo, had seen the changes in Mousse since coming to Japan. He had become a good warrior, and with the eye surgery, he had the ability to become one of the best warriors in their tribe. Not that he would be acknowledged as such. While she never showed it, she did have some affection for the boy and would give him a chance to make his own decisions. 

But first she had to deal with her great granddaughter. Ranma had been correct in his assessment of her. Even if Cologne had given her word, it would be too tempting for the young warrior to enact some sort of revenge against the youngest Tendo if they stayed in Japan, regardless of the consequences.

"We will leave for China immediately. Go pack a bag of clothes. I will handle the rest."

At the command, Shampoo finally burst into tears and collapsed to the ground.

Switching to her native language, she begged, "Granny, I love him. I truly love him. Don't make me give up on him. Please!"

Cologne looked at her in understanding. She remembered her own feelings of love and loss at that age when she had to chase Happosai out of her village. While it hurt then, she now knew that it had saved her from much larger heartache and made her stronger. It would be the same for Shampoo and she would just have to get over her pain in time.

"But he does not love you. He never did and he never will. You will learn to accept that."

Cologne’s gentle tone softened her harsh words. She watched as her great granddaughter began to weep. It was a pitiful sight from a normally strong woman and the old Amazon wanted nothing but to gather her great grandchild in her arms and comfort her. But Shampoo was a warrior, and warriors were not to be coddled.

"Go upstairs and pack, I have some things to take care of before we can leave."

Shampoo nodded mutely and sluggishly walked upstairs. She had been trained to always do what was ordered of her by an Elder. In this moment of despair, she would follow the orders almost blindly. Cologne wanted to use that to her advantage and get her great-granddaughter out of Japan quickly, before she got over her shock and retaliated against the youngest Tendo girl. The elder Amazon had no doubt that Ranma would keep his word and seek revenge if anything befell Akane and she did not want her great-granddaughter hurt over the matter.

Despite all of Shampoo’s flaws, Cologne was proud of her. But she still kept her senses on alert to make sure the young woman didn't sneak out of the house as preparations were made.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Mousse left the Neko Hanten, he had headed over to the Tendo compound. He had heard Ranma come in and had gone downstairs to investigate and was unsurprised by what he heard. Unlike his beloved, he knew the changes that had come over the pig-tailed boy. While he hated to see her hurt, he knew that the confrontation had been coming for a long time. He wasn't even happy that his main rival was out of the picture.

When he reached the house, he was greeted warmly by Kasumi and was directed to the dojo if he wanted to find Akane and the koi pond if he wanted to find Ranma. He walked towards the pond and found Ranma sitting on the large boulder beside it. He walked to stand next to him and told Ranma he knew everything that had happened. He was surprised that Ranma only asked that he not tell Akane what he knew. That he would explain to her himself when the time was right.

With nothing else to do, he had spent the day with the Tendo and Saotome families. It was rather relaxing getting to spar with Akane, fight with Ranma, and help the ladies of the house with dinner. He watched a movie with Ranma and Akane before bed and discreetly observed how close they sat next to each other and stole glances at one another.

When he came home the next day, he found a letter waiting for him from Cologne. She told him that the pair had left for China and would not be returning. Mousse was to pack their belongings and ship them back to the village for them. He was to continue running the restaurant until he could sell it. Or if he chose, he could stay in Japan and run the restaurant and send a portion of the profits back to Cologne.

There had been nothing from Shampoo. Not a word.

He wasn't surprised. She had left the village without a word to him before. She had never done anything to show him the slightest bit of encouragement and had often disdained him.

But that did little to dull the ache that filled in his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** Yup, that just happened. I may be the only person who thinks introducing a new fiancé is a good way to deal with an existing rival but hey, my brain just works that way. Before anyone skewers me, let me say that I plan on handling the extra rivals/fiancées based on how much of a "threat" they actually pose to the R &A relationship. Shampoo was the runner up for Ranma's affections for a long time. However, after Jusendo and the wedding, I do not think there is anyway Ranma would forgive her for threatening Akane's life. A lot of people have portrayed the Amazons as the ultimate villain, I just don't see them that way. Cologne, while having used manipulation to get Ranma hasn't ever set out to do him real harm and has helped him when she had nothing to gain. This ends the Engagements arc.

Thanks to **Flameraven1** for his simple, yet effective solution of Shampoo using her curse to avoid Happosai’s advances. My solution was two days of hell for her. Also, shout out to Bob V who is the only one to think it wasn’t a real abduction.

As always thanks to the best beta readers ever, **alwaysZutarian** and **PepperonyOwl**.

Original Publication Date: September 18, 2014

Revised: May 28, 2015


	13. Arc: Homecoming, Chapter: The Royal Court

It had been over a week since the kidnapping and the two female Amazons leaving. Things had changed subtly for the residents of Nerima. Ranma had still not told his fiancée about the conversation he had with Cologne and Shampoo. In fact, she still had no idea they had left permanently. As far as she knew, they went on a vacation and had left Mousse in charge of the restaurant.

For his part, the male Amazon had not mentioned their exodus to anyone. He was fine going along with the story that they were on vacation. Partially because he didn’t want the pity he knew would come and partly because talking about it would require thinking about it. He was still too hurt to deal with the repercussions of being completely dismissed by his love. A small part of him had some hope that Shampoo would come back but that was a hollow dream. He was glad that she had finally been forced to give up on Saotome and he knew that if she came back it would be for the pig-tailed boy and not for him.

Mousse had not decided if he would stay in Japan forever, but he would not leave before his debt to Dr. Iguchi was paid. He now spent his mornings helping the doctor in his office and opened the restaurant only for dinner. Unable to handle the business by himself, he had hired additional help. Ranma had taken back his old job as waitress, having felt guilty since his actions had caused them to abandon Mousse. Sayuri was now working with them, while Mousse cooked and Ranma worked the front, Sayuri handled deliveries. While not as fast as Shampoo on her bike, she had proven to be reliable and did the job well enough.

Life for Ranma had changed subtly. Ever since her little confession, Akane had been a little more...friendly to him. He would catch her smiling at him before she blushed at being caught and looked away.

It was just so cute.

Currently, Ranma and Akane were sitting in the school gymnasium waiting for the assembly to begin. He looked out of the corner of his eye at his fiancée and smiled a little at the other changes between them. There were small moments that were charged with electricity that drove the pigtail boy crazy. Just last night when they were studying in Akane's room, sitting next to each other, Ranma had a question on a problem and looked up only to see Akane's face so close to his as she leaned over to look over the book they were sharing.

He just stared at her then, taking in everything about her. The way her eyebrows were furrowed slightly as she tried to concentrate on what she was reading. The way her long eyelashes seemed to flutter against her cheeks when she blinked. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear absentmindedly. He had the overwhelming urge to pull her towards him and kiss her.

Just then she had looked up and locked her eyes with his. She had stared at him so intently that he found himself giving into his urges and he leaned towards her slowly. He was an inch from her when he suddenly lost his nerve and pulled back. Embarrassed he cleared his throat and looked down at his homework.

He couldn't explain why he didn't go through with it. She seemed like she wanted it as much as him but he was still so unsure of her feelings. Yes, she admitted that she liked having him around but that was still very different than saying she _liked_ him. He knew he was being a coward but he just wanted to be sure of her feelings. He didn't think he could stand to be rejected by her in that way.

He hadn't forgotten Mousse's advice and had tried to show her he cared; he just didn't know how to go about doing it. Despite being a total ladies’ man - and really who could blame them for being so attracted to him - he never really had to do anything to gain female affection. So he had no idea what to do. But he was trying.

At dinner last night, Kasumi had made Akane's favorite dumplings. His father had practically inhaled the entire plate in the time it had taken her to eat only one. Ranma had deftly swiped the last piece from the plate just before Genma could grab it and put it on Akane's plate. He had meant the move to be subtle but Genma's loud shout of outrage had drawn attention to the action.

Ranma had tried to ignore his father completely and focused on the food in front of him, his face turning red as he felt eyes on him and he knew that everyone had seen what he had done. A good five minutes later, he glanced around and it seemed that everyone had gone back to eating again. Although there was a definite gleam in his mother's eyes as she gave him a nod of approval.

When he had finally looked over to Akane, he noticed the dumpling was still on her plate. When he gave her a questioning look, she gave him a small - but beautiful - smile. He knew it was a small gesture but if giving someone the last piece of food wasn't a sign of affection, he didn't know what was.

Then he watched fascinated as she wrapped her plump lips around the dumpling and took a small bite. She chewed on it delicately and closed her eyes as she made a small moan of appreciation at the taste. The sound was so arousing his pants starting feeling tight. He was grateful that he was sitting and no one could see the effect she had on him. He turned his head until he was looking at his father and the sight of Genma chewing open mouthed guaranteed he wouldn't be embarrassed when he stood up.

Just then Principal Kuno walked onto the stage and a collective groan came from the audience and Ranma begrudgingly turned his attention forward.

"Aloha kei-kis! I be havin’ an important announcement today! At the end of next week we be having a Homecoming dance!"

A collective murmur of excitement rumbled through the students. Dances were rare in Japan and most had never heard the term 'Homecoming' but that did not stop some of the girls from mentally shuffling through their wardrobes for cute dresses while others had started planning shopping trips with their friends. Some of the boys began to eye their prey...err...potential dates with barely concealed lechery while others groaned at the idea of asking a girl out.

However, a certain pig-tailed boy and the blue-haired girl sitting next to him reacted with narrowed eyes and suspicion. Both their danger senses started tingling as soon as the announcement was made. It was unprecedented that the principal did something for the students that would actually make them happy. They now listened attentively as he continued.

"We be crownin’ a king and queen at da dance. So you kei-kis will nominate four wahines and four kanes by the end of the week. I will be announcing the nominees on Fridah morning."

Now the murmurs that had gone through the student body turned into a low rumble as everyone became excited. A king and queen? What kind of dance voted for a king and queen?

Principal Kuno went on to explain that it was an American type of dance he learned of while he was in Hawaii and wanted to share with the students. He told the audience that the four students of each gender who had the most nominations would be part of the Homecoming Court. Out of these eight students, a King and Queen will be selected and crowned during the dance.

Once the principal was done, the students headed back to their classes. A sense of excitement running through the school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At lunch that day, Akane, Sayuri and Yuka were seated around their favorite tree discussing the dance.

“I’m so excited! We haven’t had a formal dance here before!” Sayuri exclaimed.

“I know, we all need to go dress shopping. I don’t think I have something that would be right for a dance,” Yuka said.

“This actually sounds like fun but I don’t know, I feel like there's something going on. I just don’t trust that crazy Principal Kuno,” Akane added.

“He probably does have some crazy plan but at least we all get to dress up," Yuka responded with a happy smile on her face.

"I wouldn't mind getting dressed up. How about you, Akane? Do you think you will go to the dance?"

Akane thought it over. While hanging out with her friends sounded fun, she didn't think it was the type of thing Ranma would go to and she really didn't want to go if he wasn't going to be there. As soon as the thought entered her head she shoved it away. She would not turn into one of those girls who made decisions solely based on a guy.

"It would be fun to get all dressed up, wouldn't it? I think I have the perfect place for us to go shopping! We can make a whole day of it," the blue-haired girl said, thinking of the Chiharis' shop.

"Great, now all we have to do is find some dates," Sayuri said with an eye-roll. "Well, except for Akane, we all know who she's going with."

Akane blushed and looked down at her lunch. She hoped that Ranma would ask her to the dance since there had been a subtle change to their relationship but it wasn't a guarantee. Besides, she didn't even know if he would want to go to a dance in the first place.

“No one really…I mean, it would be nice if…but probably not…he doesn’t even….” she stuttered lamely as she started picking at the hem of her skirt. In an obvious attempt at changing the subject, she added, "How about you two? Who do you want to go to the dance with?"

It was Yuka's turn to turn a rather pretty shade of pink as she found the ground suddenly fascinating.

Sayuri smirked and said, “So, Hiroshi then? I can't believe you've had a crush on him all this time and still have not made a move."

Akane watched as Yuka's face grew red. She felt bad for her shy friend and decided to take the pressure off. She asked, "How about you, Sayuri?"

The petite martial artist was surprised when Yuka glanced up with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah, Sayuri, who do you want to go with?" the normally quiet girl asked in a tone that implied she already knew the answer.

"No one!" Sayuri hissed, sending Yuka a glare.

Akane looked at her friends, slightly confused. Since Sayuri broke up with her boyfriend she had not shown any interest in any particular boy but it was obvious that she was behind on her gossip.

"Come on, Sayuri, you have to tell me," Akane said cajolingly. "I feel so left out."

The Anything Goes Heir pouted exaggeratedly and gave her friend big round puppy dog eyes. This caused the two other girls to break into giggles and it wasn't long before she joined them.

"You should just tell her!"

Rolling her eyes, Sayuri finally caved and said, "Fine. I kind of, sort of, maybe...like Mousse, okay?"

Akane raised her eyebrow at that. She knew her friend always found the Amazon to be attractive but this seemed to be something more. Maybe something had developed now that they were working together and without the threat of Shampoo around. While Shampoo had shown very little interest in Mousse, Akane always wondered how the Amazon warrior would react if Mousse's attention were suddenly taken away from her and she knew she wasn't the only one to harbor such thoughts. She was a little concerned for her friend's safety when Shampoo finally returned but kept the opinion to herself. Sayuri would be safe as she always worked the same shifts as Ranma and he would never let anything happen to her.

Suddenly an idea came to her and she smirked. "So, are you going to ask him to the dance?" Akane asked with unconcealed mirth. It was rare that she had an opportunity to tease her friend and she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Yuka grinned and added, "Yeah, it would be so romantic, you can get down on one knee and everything." She too was also unwilling to let the rare moment go.

Sayuri just rolled her eyes at her friends. She didn't take any of the teasing personally since she was almost always on the other foot. "No. He has no idea that I exist, I'm just the take-out girl to him and I am fine with it. Besides, I think I have to work that night."

Akane frowned at the thought, she hadn't taken into account that Ranma may have to work, thus narrowing her chances that he would attend the dance.

The girls' good moods seemed to deflate a little as each got lost in their own thoughts. Surprisingly, it was Yuka who came up with a solution.

"How about we all plan to go out as a group for the dance? Akane can ask Mousse if he would like to come, hopefully he will say yes and you can get the night off. And Ranma wouldn't feel pressured into asking you," she said nodding to Akane.

"You know, that's a great idea. I'm sure Ranma could get Hiroshi and Daisuke to come with us too. It will take pressure of the boys and we would still get to hang out with them all night. What do you think, Akane?”

She would have preferred to go to the dance as Ranma's date but she didn't think it likely to happen. They were still awkward around each other when it came to emotions and if she couldn't be his date she would happily settle for being in the same group as him.

“Sure. That sounds like fun. But who's going to bring it up to the guys?"

"Not it," Sayuri and Yuka said at the same time.

Akane groaned and accepted her fate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Unbeknownst to them, a similar conversation was being held across the yard.

“So Dai, you planning on askin’ Yuka to the dance?” Hiroshi asked.

He knew his best-friend has had a crush on the cute but shy girl for years. He just never had the balls to actually do anything about it.

“Aww…man. I don’t know. Every time I get around her I swear my brain freezes and I act like a moron. How the hell am I gonna ask her to the dance if I can’t speak to her? How about you? You gonna ask Sayuri?” Daisuke responded. It was an open secret between the friends that Hiroshi thought her very attractive and would have jumped at a chance to date the girl.

“I don’t know. I mean she’s really cute and all but I’ve never really gotten a chance to talk to her. She had that boyfriend forever and when she finally breaks up with him, she seems completely uninterested,” he answered with a sigh. With a nod he asked, "What about you, Ranma?"

“Me at a dance? I don’t think so,” he answered with a shake of his head.

Both his friends seemed surprised that Ranma seemed to actually be listening to them. Usually they talked and Ranma sat with them but still somehow slightly apart. They didn't mind though, as the pig-tailed boy was fun to hang around as his life was so full of adventure. That and he was surrounded by beautiful women. They had only asked out of politeness but thought he was day dreaming again.

“You never know, it could be fun and you could, ya know, ask Akane if she wants to go with you,” Daisuke added.

Take Akane to a dance? The thought had already passed through his mind. Well, mainly the image of them slow dancing together had implanted itself in his head, having caused Ranma to space out in class. Not that anyone noticed, spacing out was the norm for him.

It would be so nice to hold her while dancing. Having an excuse to hold her in his arms for more than just a moment. And in public too!

Actually, he tried not to think too much about that last part. It made him a little nervous. He was still very uncomfortable with public displays of affection but there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to have Akane in his arms.

"Ranma?"

Said boy shook his head a little, slightly embarrassed at being caught daydreaming.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

His two friends rolled their eyes at each other and Hiroshi repeated his question.

"Akane is sure to go to the dance, you'll be okay if she dances with someone else?" he asked a little too eagerly for Ranma's liking.

The mental image of Akane slow dancing with some random guy made Ranma unconsciously clench both fists.

“You know,” Ranma finally responded, “maybe going to the dance wouldn't be such a terrible idea.”

His friends tried to hold back their snickers before all three boys fell silent, each thinking about the dance and how to solve their individual problems. Hiroshi finally looked up, a grin on his face as he said, “You know, there are three of them and there are three of us.”

“We can all count, idiot,” Daisuke mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

“No, moron, I mean maybe we can all go together, in a big group. Pressure is off of each couple,” Hiroshi explained and then added with air quotes, “but we still each have a date.”

"Great, how are we going to propose that to them?" Daisuke asked.

“Hey, I can’t think of everything, can I?” Hiroshi retorted.

The boys headed back to class when they heard the bell ring.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After school, Ranma, Hiroshi, and Daisuke were all hanging out by the front gate, still trying to think of a way to get all the girls to go along with the plan.

Looking back at the school entrance, Ranma said, “Hey guys, here they come. Have either of you thought of anything yet?”

The other boys look back at him blankly and shrugged.

“Great,” he mumbled.

“Hey guys!” Akane greeted the trio of boys as she approached the group with her friends in tow.

When they left class and she saw the three boys standing together, she took it as a sign that now would be a good time to suggest a group date.

“So, that was a weird assembly this morning, right? I still don’t fully understand the whole Homecoming thing but having a dance sounds kind of fun!” she added brightly.

“Yeah, but I can’t believe they want us to get all dressed up!” Hiroshi replied.

“Oh, that’s the best part! Well, maybe not for you guys but we are already planning on going dress shopping this weekend!” Sayuri added.

The other girls nodded, practically bouncing with excitement.

“So, you’re all planning on going. Do you already have dates?” Daisuke asked, one hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he watched Yuka out of the corner of his eyes.

“No, but we're all excited about going, even without dates," Akane replied, purposefully avoiding Ranma's gaze. She knew she would look too hopeful if she looked at him and didn't want to come off as pathetic or get her feelings hurt. "We’ve already talked about getting ready at my place and then heading there together.” She gave the boys a big smile, trying to act like she just came up with the idea, she added, “You know, why don’t we all go together, in a big group? It would be so much fun! You guys can meet us at my place and we can all walk over together.”

Hiroshi and Daisuke were shocked at their good luck, they couldn’t believe that Akane would be the answers to all their problems. Ranma, however, noticed the sly look Sayuri and Yuka gave each other when Akane mentioned going as a group. He figured something was up when Akane came over so enthusiastically, she was normally a cheerful person but she wasn’t normally so bubbly.

“You know, that doesn’t sound so bad. Whadya say guys?” Ranma asked, secretly relieved he was able to go to the dance with Akane without actually having to ask her directly.

“Sounds like a plan.” “Should be fun," came the simultaneous replies.

_Wait. Ranma wants to go to the dance? I thought for sure he was going to say no,_ Akane thought as she became excited.

The pig-tailed boy only stared at his fiancée. She looked so cute when her eyes lit up like that and he couldn't help but be transfixed at the sight.

The rest of their friends were growing accustomed to this tableau and they all shook their heads in exasperation, each one thinking that it was long past time the two admitted their feelings for each other. They let this go on a moment longer before Daisuke cleared his throat loudly.

Akane looked down as her face became pink. Ranma put his hands in his pockets and looked up, suddenly finding the sky fascinating.

Yuka rescued her friends from further awkwardness by saying, "We can figure out the details later. I've got to go home, bye!" She waved to her friends and headed off.

Daisuke and Hiroshi were the next to leave, both headed to their various afternoon pursuits.

"I'm off to the Neko Hanten. Ranma, are you coming with?" Sayuri asked.

"Nah, I think I am going to drop my books off at home and then head over," Ranma said, trying to be smooth. He really just wanted to walk Akane home and have a little time alone with her. He thought he did a good job playing it off but his horrible poker face gave him away.

Sayuri smiled knowingly and said, "Okay, I'll let Mousse know you'll be in later. Bye, Akane!" With a small wave she left the two alone.

Akane waved her friend off before heading down the street with Ranma at her side. She too saw through Ranma's flimsy excuse but was rather pleased that he would go out of his way to walk her home. She had been worried that his new job would take away what little time they had together and that she would really miss him. She, of course, didn't realize they spent practically every waking moment together, and she would still have breakfast, all of school, and late nights with Ranma. All she was focused on was the time he _wasn't_ going to be with her.

They had walked a couple of blocks in silence when Akane asked, "What do you think of the dance? The principal is up to something, right?"

"Definitely." Ranma shrugged and added, "Don't know what it is though."

"Yeah, I can't figure it out either, but it's got to be something. I can't imagine Principal Kuno being nice _._ " They walked a little while longer, before she added, "Still it should be fun, though." Akane smiled at the thought of maybe being able to dance with Ranma.

Ranma looked over and saw the practically giddy look on her face and he figured she was thinking about dresses. She looked so happy that he knew all of the trouble that was bound to come up would be worth it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The week flew by as everyone adjusted slightly to their new schedules. As usual, Monday morning came quicker than anyone would like. As Akane and Ranma walked into school, they noticed the grounds abnormally empty. As they entered the buildings they saw groups of students huddled around posters hung intermittently down the hall. Since they were for once on time, they stopped to look at them.

It was an announcement about the dance, listing off the Princes and Princesses of the Homecoming Court.

Princesses:

Suzuki, Hina

Tendo, Akane

Wantanabe,Yoko

Yusuke, Aoi

Princes:

Kobayashi, Houji

Nakamura, Souta

Saitou, Ren

Soatome, Ranma

They both stood there stunned as their fellow students congratulated them and headed off to class.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When lunch arrived that day, Akane and her friends walked to their usual tree and sat down. The other two girls had wanted to talk about the dance all during class but earlier, one of the boys had been acting up and Ms. Hinako had sucked out his chi. Having their teacher in her adult form, and thus actually focused on the class, made it hard to pass any notes.

“Congrats, Akane! You know you’ve got our votes!” Yuka said as soon as she sat down.

“Yup! I knew you would get a nomination!” Sayuri agreed.

“Thanks guys. To be honest, I’m a little surprised I was nominated.” Akane replied. Sayuri and Yuka gave each other a look before Akane added, “I mean, Aoi is really popular and captain of the cheerleading team, Hina scores at the top of the class and is captain of the debate club and Yoko is in four different clubs and they are all sooo...I- I’m just not sure how I fit in with them.”

Sayuri sighed and shook her head. One of the things she liked best about her friend was how humble she was. Akane was always nice to everyone because she was a kind person and in her mind there was no other way to be. She also never put much time on her appearance -because she knew that there was more to a person than what they looked like - but with her good looks she really didn't need to. Despite having almost all the boys in school after her, she never let it go to her head. But there were times, like this one, that made her friends wish she had a little less humility.

“You know, one of my favorite things about you is that you aren’t conceited but this is just silly. You’re easily as pretty as any of them, if not more so. You’re the captain of the volleyball team. You were the lead in the school play," Yuka said ticking off her fingers as she listed each point.

"You helped the Martial Rhythmic gymnastics team. Even though you got hurt and Ranma had to compete in your place, everyone knew you worked hard to help. You single handedly came up with the idea that got Happosai to stop raiding the gym so we could all stop taking ho baths and actually have showers!" Sayuri added, her arms waving around wildly.

Yuka giggled at the term "ho bath" and added, "Not only that, but everyone loves you because you’re actually nice, unlike that pompous Hina. I’m pretty sure that you’re gonna win, so I’m glad you got that killer dress on Saturday!”

A couple of boys walked by then and got their attention when they shouted, “Way to go, Akane, you’ve got my vote!” "Mine too!” Another gave her a big thumbs up, while the last smiled and waved at her.

Sayuri raised her eyebrow at Akane and said, “See? Hell, if all of the boys who wanted to date you, voted for you, it’ll be a landslide for sure.”

Akane’s face turned pink under all the praise and attention before saying, “Thanks guys.”

She felt better after their small chat. When she saw her name on the poster that morning, she had honestly been shocked. She never gave her popularity a thought because it had often caused her more trouble than it was worth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sitting with Daisuke and Hiroshi across the yard, Ranma had already finished his lunch while the others were still working on theirs.

"How the hell did you get nominated?" Hiroshi said around a mouthful of food.

Ranma shrugged. He had been a little surprised that his name was on the list. With all the hijinks he had been a part of he knew he was well known in the school but that didn't make him popular. People who could be considered "delinquents" weren't normally on the list for things like this.

He wasn't the least bit surprised that Akane's name had made the list. He knew that she was popular (a little too popular with the boys in his opinion), did well in her classes, and had a lot of friends. The only real trouble she got into was being forced to hold buckets because she was often late for school, though that was more his fault than hers.

Curiosity got the better of him and Ranma asked his friends, “So, who you guys voting for?”

“Why, gonna start campaigning for yourself?” Daisuke snickered.

“No, jack-ass. I meant the girls. I don’t care if I win, I don’t even know why I was nominated.”

“Well, I’m voting for Akane of course!" Hiroshi said. Even though he knew he never had a shot with the blue-haired girl, he always had a soft spot for her. "But if I was gonna vote for someone else, I sure as hell wouldn’t admit it to you.”

Daisuke nodded his head and added, “Yeah, no one’s gonna admit to you who they’re voting for, so don't go asking anyone else.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I wasn’t planning on asking anyone else.”

“No one wants to be beat up, Ranma. If you ask a guy and he answers no, then you’d glare at them, thinking they were insulting Akane. But if he said yes, you’d glare at them thinking they were interested in her. It’s a no win situation for the poor schmuck.”

Ranma just scowled in response. He didn't want to admit that they were probably right and he would have reacted exactly that way. He never knew that he was so transparent with his feelings.

He rolled his eyes and said, “I just thought it’d be nice for her to win, ya know? She deserves some good stuff to happen to her.”

Hiroshi and Daisuke gave each other a look before Hiroshi added, “Ranma, are you actually voicing some concern for Akane's happiness?”

“You guys know I never mean what I say about her. I just like teasing her,” Ranma said gruffly.

He had no idea why it was so easy to admit this to them when he still couldn't make any declarations to Akane. Maybe it was the unwritten rule all guys knew that feelings weren't gossiped about. They were men, not girls.

Despite their being complete and utter perverts, these two were actually pretty good guys. Sure they couldn't fight worth a damn and he caught them checking out Akane when they thought he wasn't looking - hell they ogled her in front of him too - they were always around to have his back. In their limited capacity.

“About time! We’ve been telling you for ages how great she is. Maybe now, you may actually deserve her,” Daisuke said.

“Nah. He'll never deserve her," Hiroshi barked out before he laughed and elbowed his friend in the arm.

Ranma just rolled his eyes, too used to their antics to pay them any real mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Late Saturday afternoon, Ranma was working out in the dojo with his pop. Well, Ranma was working out while his father was in his panda form napping in the corner. It was an hour before the dance was supposed to start.

He had plenty of time to get ready. His new suit was hanging in the closet of the Tendo guest room, his brand new shoes were waiting for him in the genkan. On Sunday, his mother had told him that he was to head over to the Chihari's store to be fitted for a new suit. He was rather surprised by the request since his mother and Mrs. Chihari clearly did not get along when they first met.

But the shopping expedition that she had gone on with the Tendo sisters, Sayuri, Yuka, and Konatsu on Saturday had obviously changed her mind. The store had still not opened to the public but Mrs. Chihari had been gracious in inviting everyone over to try on dresses. They decided to delay in opening the store so they could incorporate the shoes and accessories of Tatsuki’s family into the space. In fact, Tatsuki and her mother, Eriko Ban, had also been there to help the girls accessorize their dresses.

It had been an all-girls event, all of the men had been barred from the shop (no one counted Konatsu as one of the men, despite him being one) and all the women had been very excited. Apparently the women had a lot of fun and everyone left the store with a new dress, including Konatsu, Kasumi and Nodoka.

He learned all of this from Sota when he had gone to look at suits. It had been awkward at first but the other man was sociable and put Ranma at ease. He was also able to meet Tatsuki and he saw for himself how obviously in love the two were. It helped ease his mind that Sota never had any real interest in Akane, and once the suspicion was removed from his mind, Ranma was surprised that he found that he actually liked the other martial artist. He still thought he was a pretty boy though and was positive that he could take him in a fight.

The pig-tailed boy smiled when he thought of Akane. She had just gotten out of the bath when Sayuri and Yuka had come over with their dresses, make-up bags, shoes, and other equipment and hauled her off to get ready.

That had been over an hour ago! How long did it take them to get ready?

Every time he had disguised himself as a girl, it had taken him no time to get dressed. Splashing himself with cold water and putting on a dress took him no longer than five minutes. So he figured that it shouldn't take Akane that long since she didn't even have to change forms!

He'd never understand girls.

Just then he heard the dojo doors slide open and he looked over to see Hiroshi and Daisuke standing at the entrance, both dressed and giving him a puzzled look. The later was in a grey suit with a skinny black tie already loosened at the neck while the former had on a black tuxedo and bow tie.

"Hey, Ranma! Why aren't you dressed? Aren't we leaving soon?" Hiroshi asked.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be getting ready?" Daisuke added.

Ranma rolled his eyes and came out of his defensive position. Maybe it wasn't just a girl thing.

"Relax, we aren't leaving until 7."

"That's in fifteen minutes, Ranma," Hiroshi pointed out helpfully.

"See? I got plenty of time."

Ranma walked over and picked his towel and water bottle off the floor, taking a swig of water before wiping his head with the towel. He walked towards the door and his friends parted for him and followed him to the house.

"I'm going to get ready. I'll be back in less than ten minutes," Ranma called over his shoulder as he headed to the furo.

True to his word, Ranma came back in eight minutes, fully dressed in a black suit, with yellow striped tie. He had originally grabbed a red tie (his favorite color) but Sota had insisted on the yellow and Ranma didn't care enough about it to argue with him. The other man was the fashion expert after all and with the very heavy discounts the Chiharis had given everyone - really, they were practically free - he wasn't going to complain.

When he reached the family room, he saw that his two friends had been joined by Taro, who had on a black suit, black shirt, and dark grey vest. He had opted not to wear a tie and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. All three were seated at the table drinking tea, small plates of food in front of them. The dance would have some refreshments but Kasumi, being Kasumi, had prepared everyone a 'light' snack.

Ranma sat down and looked over the selection in front of him; a choice of sliced fruit and vegetables were artfully arranged on a plate, onigiri, chicken teriyaki skewers, gyoza, edamame, and red bean mochi were all available.

Ranma sat down and had only gone through a single serving of each item before Nodoka and Kasumi came down with large smiles on their faces.

"The girls are coming down shortly."

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Akane was standing in her room as Yuka put the finishing touches on her make-up in front of a travel sized mirror propped on the desk. Sayuri and Yuka both came over and had their hair expertly done by Kasumi and Nodoka. Akane had offered to help but the two older women suggested she just enjoy her day with her friends and that she should let Nabiki do her make-up. She was grateful for their thoughtfulness.

The shopping trip the previous weekend was one full of fun and relaxation. When the group reached the store, they were greeted warmly by Mrs. Chihari, everyone except for Nodoka. They gave each other a perfunctory 'hello,' both were embarrassed by their behavior and unsure of how to act around the other. They were then introduced to Tatsuki and her mother Eriko.

Almost as soon as they entered the store the group split up, the younger women and Konatsu browsing the dress section, oohing and aahing over the selections. Tatsuki went with Akane through the store and helped her pick out some dresses as they got to know each other better. Akane found that she really liked the other girl and was glad that Sota had someone so kind and funny in his life.

The older women and Kasumi had taken seats around the dressing room sitting area, chatting and having tea. With her gentle manner, Kasumi soon had Yoko and Nodoka at ease with each other. When the three mothers began swapping stories about their husbands' antics and bonding, Kasumi had left them to look over some modest dresses for herself.

In short order, everyone had a small pile of items to try on and headed to the dressing rooms. Almost as soon as she tried on the dress, Akane knew it was the one she wanted to buy. She came out and blushed when everyone gushed at how perfect it was for her. Tatsuki then pulled her aside to go look at accessories. As she was a looking over two very small, very cute but impractical beaded evening bags, her danger senses tingled and she turned abruptly around.

To her surprise all she saw was Nodoka, Yoko, and Eriko standing together whispering to each other and laughing behind their hands. She felt uneasy when they all turned and smiled at her; the Saotome matriarch had a small gleam in her eyes that she couldn't place. She brushed the paranoid feeling away. After all, what did she have to worry about from those sweet women?

Akane had finished getting ready, her nails, make-up, and hair looking perfect. She had just pulled on her dress, Nodoka having had helped zip her up. She turned around and smiled as she looked at herself. Not only was the dress her favorite color, it was comfortable and gave her a full range of motion. When she originally tried on the dress she executed a few round house kicks in the dressing room because she never knew when she would end up in a fight.

She stared in the mirror before a slightly puzzled look came over her face. The dress felt exactly the same on but for some reason she seemed to be showing a lot more cleavage than she remembered. She looked up and saw Nodoka smiling at her with a twinkle in her eye and her suspicion grew.

"Umm...Auntie?" she began hesitantly.

"Yes, Akane?" Nodoka asked and gave her such a kind, loving, motherly look that Akane instantly felt remorse for ever thinking that her sweet auntie would ever do anything sneaky to her.

Suddenly she felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness as she thought of her mother. If her mother were alive, it would have been her zipping up the dress and helping them all get ready. It was moments like this that she truly missed her mother.

She had been so young when her mother passed that she only had vague recollections of her. Her memories were more of feelings than actual events but she treasured them all the same. She remembered the warmth she felt from her mother’s hugs, the joy of seeing her laughing face, and the love she felt when she was tucked in at night and given a kiss on the forehead.

She wondered vaguely if her mother would have been proud of the person she had become.

Akane smiled as she looked at Nodoka. She had been there since Yuka and Sayuri has shown up and helped the girls with whatever they needed but also tried to not to be too intrusive. Nodoka had been so wonderful today doting on Akane and her friends. She had joked and giggled with them as they got ready and the blue-haired girl got a small taste of what it would have been like if her mother were alive. Just having Nodoka there made Akane feel loved. The Saotome matriarch had always treated her like a daughter and the blue-haired girl wondered if she knew how much her affection was appreciated.

"Thank you," she said instead, trying to say with her eyes all of the things she couldn't express in words.

Nodoka seemed to understand, giving her a small squeeze of her hand and said, "You're welcome."

Just then Nabiki walked into the room already dressed with Kasumi following closely behind.

"All of the boys have arrived and are having a snack downstairs," Kasumi announced to the group before she left.

Nabiki looked at her sister and tilted her head to the side as she looked her over. The youngest Tendo looked down nervously, wondering if perhaps something was wrong with the dress.

"Is that the same...?" Nabiki began.

The middle Tendo had noticed right away that the dress seemed lower cut than before and was just about to ask about it but stopped when she saw Nodoka standing behind Akane. Her eyes were wide and she waved her hands in front of her and shook her head right to left. Nabiki understood immediately and smirked at her sister.

"Is what the same?" Akane asked.

"Oh I was wondering if those were the same bracelets you wore to school the other day."

Akane gave her a funny look and said, "You know these are new, you helped me pick them out."

"Oh sorry, don't know what I was thinking. Well, since I actually have a date, I'm headed down. See you girls at the dance," Nabiki said.

As she walked out the door she winked at Nodoka who gave her a small smile and a nod in acknowledgment before she left the room.

Akane missed the entire exchange.

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A few moments after Kasumi and Nodoka had come down, Ranma turned and saw Nabiki enter the room. He watched as Taro turned and goggled at her, his eyes running up and down her body. Hiroshi and Daisuke were also admiring her but trying to do it subtly since Taro was unknown to them and they didn't want to anger him.

Ranma had to admit that Nabiki looked nice, if not a little showy. What little of her dress there was was black. The front of her dress dipped low and barely covered her breasts being held up by thin spaghetti straps that wrapped around her shoulders. Below her breasts the dress cut in leaving a few inches of her stomach on display. There was a small band of material in the front that connected to the top to a long skirt. The skirt started low on her hips and went straight down to the floor. When she did a little spin for Taro's sake, Ranma saw that the dress had a slit on the right side that ran up to her thigh. The back of her dress was almost backless, the skirt portion barely covering the top of her butt and the expanse of her back completely bare. She had a gold cuff on her left upper arm and her hair in her usual bob.

He didn't know much about dresses but he knew that it suited Nabiki. It seemed he wasn't the only one who thought so as Taro was still speechless. When Nabiki walked up to her boyfriend, he could see Taro stop himself from touching her as he eyed Soun, who was in the corner of the room. The pair had walked towards Ranma and he overheard their whispered conversation.

"So, you like?" Nabiki asked, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Taro bent back a little to take another look at Nabiki's ass before leaning in and saying, "Very much. I'm just trying to figure out what you have on underneath."

Nabiki's smirk grew wider as she purred, "Nothing."

Ranma swore he heard Taro whimper as he followed after her, practically panting. The pig-tail boy closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to rid the knowledge from his brain. It was too much information and he wished he never heard their conversation.

Shortly after, Yuka and Sayuri came down.

Yuka was wearing a teal strapless dress with a beaded heart shaped bodice and cinched waist that flared out and ended at her knees. The layers of tulle underneath the skirt gave the dress a very 1950s feel, and with hair swept to one side in large waves, she looked very old school Hollywood. Sayuri had on a slinky dress in blue with a matching blue belt around her waist. It had a keyhole halter top and her hair was swept low and tied into a side pony-tail on her right side. Ranma smirked as he watched his friends try not to gawk at the two girls.

His head swiveled to the door as he felt a familiar presence approach. As Akane entered the room, his eyes widened and he took in his fiancée with rapt fascination.

The blue-haired girl was wearing a buttercup yellow chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline, with rhinestone detailing along the bodice. The dress flowed gracefully from her waist to the floor in small pleats. Her hair had been blown out to add more body and framed her face beautifully. As she moved towards him the light glinted off the rhinestones drawing attention to the impressive amount of cleavage she had on display. She smiled then, that lovely carefree smile that made her eyes twinkle and seemed to make her glow. He had never seen her look lovelier and his heart began to thump loudly in his chest.

Ranma's view was suddenly interrupted by something white obstructing his view. Turning his head he saw Nabiki standing next to him waving a tissue and he gave her a puzzled look.

"It's for the drool on your face," she said dryly.

Ranma's eyes widened and he quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He frowned when his hand came away dry. Looking over, he saw Nabki shake her head at him in amusement.

"You're so gullible."

Behind her Taro was openly laughing at him and muttered, "Dumbass."

Ranma's eyes narrowed as Nabiki grabbed Taro's hand and they headed out the door.

Shortly after the girls had some food - a significantly less amount than the boys - the rest of the party decided to leave. Sayuri, Yuka, Hiroshi, and Daisuke were already waiting outside while Akane sat down to put on her shoes in the genkan. The shoes were silver with one thin strap over the toes and another that wrapped around her delicate ankle with a small rhinestone buckle and a three inch heel. Ranma had never found feet fascinating before but there was something about the way her foot arched delicately as she slipped her foot into the heel and how her red painted toenails looked against the silver. An image of him holding her foot in his hands as he slipped off the shoe and kissed the top of her foot before he worked his way slowly up her leg entered his mind.

He shook his head to rid himself of the tempting image and waited for her to finish. As they grew closer, Ranma noticed that Akane began to occupy his thoughts and those thoughts had taken a rather intimate turn. He was getting used to the increasingly sensual mental images he had about his fiancée but he was still embarrassed by them.

Ranma surprised the blue-haired girl by offering his hand to her help her stand, earning him a smile from both his mom and his fiancée. Although he only noticed the one from Akane. Standing up, she smiled at him before her face turned once again into puzzlement and she looked down at her feet.

"What's wrong? Shoes uncomfortable?" Ranma asked.

"No," she said quickly as she shifted her weight left and right. It was the oddest feeling but she could swear that her right shoe was just a tad bit shorter than her left. She shrugged it off and headed out the door ahead of Ranma.

Ranma watched Akane as she walked by him and his head tilted to the side automatically as his eyes narrowed in on her rear. His fiancée seemed to have a little extra swing in her hips when she moved, almost as if she were trying to strut. But he dismissed the idea as something very out of character for her. Ranma gulped at the sight before he followed her out the door...slowly. It was a nice view after all and he wanted to enjoy it.

Behind them Nodoka grinned like a Cheshire cat. During their shopping trip she asked Yoko to shorten the top of the bodice a bit and she had asked Eriko to cut a quarter inch off of the right heel of Akane's shoes. She knew that it would cause the girl to sway her hips a little as she walked.Both women were more than happy to help, completely understanding Nodoka's need to assist in her son's love life.

The Saotome matriarch had not missed Ranma's lingering gaze on his fiancee's rear or the one that lingered on Akane's chest when she came into the room. It seemed that the minor alterations she had implemented did not go unappreciated.

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**A/N:** Big shout out to **alwaysZutarian** , who rocks!

Original Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Revised: May 28, 2015


	14. Arc IV: Homecoming, Chapter: The Dance

Ukyo found herself once again primping in front of a mirror. It seemed she had been doing this a lot lately and she was surprised that she was beginning to enjoy it. Because this time, unlike the other times, she was comfortable with what she was wearing. 

She had on an all-white men’s suit but one that made her look like anything but a man. The pants were cut slim and long, paired with open toed white heels, making her legs look like they went on forever. But what really caught the eye was the jacket. It had wide lapels and was long, ending at the hips, and cut close to show off her curves. The okonomiyaki chef wore nothing underneath, leaving an expanse of bare skin forming a wide v of flesh, her breasts proudly on display, the jacket just barely covering her nipples. She drew further attention to her cleavage by pairing the ensemble with a gold y-necklace that left two thin gold chains dangling between the valley her breasts created. Her long hair was slicked back and pulled into a high ponytail. 

It was a blend of masculine and feminine that suited her perfectly and she knew she looked damn good. 

It had been a long few weeks for the chef and she was at her wits end. The disastrous date with Ranma, the failed meeting with his mother, and then Ranma bursting into her restaurant after practically ignoring her for so long just to ask about Akane had taken a toll on her. But if she were honest, it was the last incident that had really shaken her.

She closed her eyes and a shiver ran through her as she remembered what happened. He had really frightened her that day and she didn't know how to feel about it. She knew he was a great martial artist but she had never really glimpsed his true power, especially not in any way that was directed towards her. Well, not since he found out she was a she. Even before that he hadn't fought seriously against her and was still able to easily beat her.

She pushed the feelings away or had tried to since it happened. But it didn't help that the entire school was abuzz about the incident. The other students who had been at her restaurant had spread the story all over the school and most of the students had taken his actions as a sign that he had chosen between his two fiancées. That had not helped her mood at all. 

She attempted to spend time with him at school during lunch but he kept avoiding her, even when she had tempted him with a freshly cooked okinomiyaki. When she heard that both Ranma and Akane were nominated for The Royal Court she had been afraid that they would go together. She kept her ears open for any news and heard through the grape vine that they were going together but in a group. So it wasn't really a date.

At first she had been glad that they weren't going as a couple but then she had found herself annoyed that she hadn't been asked to join them. After she really thought of it, she knew that it was a stupid thing to hope for. She couldn't get close enough to Ranma for him to invite her and she would be damned if she was going to Akane - her rival - to get her another date with her own fiancée. She had tried to get an invitation from one of the other people in the group but she didn't know the boys at all and Akane's friends had proved to stand as a preverbal wall against her. She may have been able to trick Yuka into it but Sayuri, who was constantly at her side, had squashed the idea before Ukyo could really ask.

It didn't matter at the end. She was going to the dance stag. It didn't matter that she now had some doubts when she thought of Ranma, that she was a little scared of him. But she viciously pushed those nagging feelings aside. She had spent ten years chasing him and she was not going to give up on him at the slightest bump in the road. 

No, she would not give up on him. She would make him see that she was the right choice. 

She applied a thin layer of lip gloss and checked herself out in the mirror one last time, satisfied with the way she looked. She left the restaurant with a spring in her step, convinced that tonight would be the night that she could turn things around. 

When she walked into the dance a few minutes later, she looked around for her fiancée and finally found him sitting at a table. Her eyes narrowed in anger at the sight. 

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When they reached the gym, Akane stopped and looked around, surprised by its transformation. She knew there would be some decorations but she was not prepared for this. 

On the wall opposite the entrance door, the bleachers had been slightly pulled out to provide seating. Tapped to the bottom front of the bleachers were images of logs made out of painted cardboard. The back of the bleachers had a large construction paper palm trees taped to them adorned with decoupage coconuts. 

The stage on her left had also been decorated, strings of small white lights had been strung from the ceiling with dangling stars suspended from the ends. Large decoupage oak trees were spread sporadically along the back of half of the stage, an old style post lamp was standing next to a park bench that was set at an angle on the right side of the stage. The scene was tranquil and romantic. 

The wall opposite the stage was papered a light blue to resemble the sky, along the front were decoupage trees, but these were cherry blossom trees. Paper mache cherry blossoms were strewn around the floor and small fans along the back wall had been set up to blow the blossoms around gently, giving the effect of the cherry blossoms swirling from the wind. 

Akane turned around slowly to look at the wall behind her. The area had been split, one side containing small groupings of tables for people to sit down at while the other side had a row of tables along the wall full of food. At the very corner there was an area for professional pictures that contained a small row boat with a giant shark head next to it with its mouth ajar set in front of a background of the sea. She looked up to see a shining disco ball twinkling from the center of the gym. 

"Wow. This is...interesting," Yuka said as she looked around, apparently as stupefied by the hodgepodge decor as she was. 

"Interesting?" Sayuri said exasperatedly. "It's not interesting, it looks like the gym has multiple personality disorder!"

"I wonder what happened," Akane said.

Ranma sighed and shook his head. "I know what happened. The decorating committee came into the Neko Hanten and got into an argument about themes. Half wanted to go with traditional Japanese and the other half wanted to go with something called Midnight in The Park. It got rather heated while they were there." He pointed to the Hawaiian decor and said, "I can only guess that was Principal Kuno's contribution." 

They spent a few more moments taking in their surroundings when Daisuke asked the group, "So, what do you want to do?"

Music was playing but no one was on the dance floor yet. The people who had already arrived were congregated in small groups around the gym, some already taking pictures inside the shark's open mouth.

"We could go sit down for a while," Yuka offered.

"That sounds like a good idea. Would you prefer sitting on logs at the beach or a picnic table, my lady?" Hiroshi said jokingly, earning a giggle from Yuka and a frown from Daisuke.

"Why don't we pull a couple tables together and get some snacks," Ranma replied, pointing at the table with the food. 

Akane smiled at this, it was so typical for Ranma to think with his stomach even after having just eaten. The rest of the group readily agreed and they walked over to the tables. The girls watched as the boys pulled two tables together and gathered six chairs before walking over to grab food. The girls sat down, leaving every other seat open, and were soon joined by the boys. Hiroshi and Daisuke were each carrying two plates of food and Ranma - using his waitressing skills - had managed to carry six plates all by using his forearms to balance the items expertly.

As he sat down, Ranma looked around. When his eyes tracked towards the front door, he saw Tatewaki Kuno walk in wearing a three piece black suit with a white shirt and a solid blue tie. On his arm was an attractive young woman wearing a sequin halter dress in gold. The halter was cut high at the neck and went down to her knees and swayed a little as she walked. It took Ranma a moment to realize that the "she" was actually Konatsu. 

The pigtailed boy smirked and leaned over to Akane whispering into her ear, "Guess who just walked in?"

Akane tried to suppress the shiver that ran through her at the feel of his hot breath on her skin but failed. She took a moment to enjoy the sensation before turning her head towards the door. A smile graced her face as she said, "Doesn't he look beautiful?"

Ranma quirked his eyebrow at her and asked, "You knew he was coming as Kuno's date?"

A slightly mischievous grin appeared on her face and she said, "Who do you think helped him pick out that dress?"

The pig-tailed boy smiled back. He gulped when he realized how close his face was to hers. Without realizing it, he started leaning in, his eyes focused on her plump, pink lips. He moved slowly giving her a chance to pull back. But Akane had other ideas and started to lean in too, drawn to him like a magnet. Her heart started beating quickly as anticipation built up.

"Do ya mind if I join you, Ranma-honey?" came a loud familiar voice behind them. 

The pair jerked back quickly and looked up to see Ukyo glaring down at them, her arms akimbo, a tight smile on her face. Akane noticed the slight battle aura she was emitting and instantly felt embarrassed at being caught almost kissing Ranma in public! What had she been thinking?

She smiled sheepishly at the chef and said, "Of course you can join us. Why don't you pull up a chair?"

Her smile faded when Ukyo brought a chair back and wedged it between Ranma and herself before she sat down and turned her back to the blue-haired girl, in a clear sign of dismissal. Akane leaned in and gave a small smile to Ranma before turning to talk to Daisuke and Yuka on her left. The pair had caught the exchange but chose not to comment on it, which she was glad for as she grit her teeth and tried to keep a pleasant smile on her face. She wasn't surprised by the way Ukyo had treated her and while she was annoyed she was determined not to let the chef ruin her night. 

Ranma on the other hand had mixed feelings at the interruption. He really hadn't thought that their first kiss should happen in public - the neko-ken incident didn't count as he couldn't remember it - but he was sure that Akane had wanted it just as much as he did! Part of him was glad they were interrupted as he thought their first kiss should be private but a much larger part of him raged at the missed opportunity. Before he could say anything about Ukyo's sudden appearance, Akane had already asked her to join them. Ranma found himself narrowing his eyes at Ukyo's rudeness in turning her back on the person who invited her to sit with them.

"So Ranchan, you having fun?" Ukyo asked brightly, trying to cover up the anger she felt. 

If she showed up a second later, she was sure she would have caught them kissing! She fumed as she wondered if this was their first kiss and figured that it must not have been. They wouldn't have been brazen enough to kiss for the first time in public, would they?

Ranma shrugged and said, "It's okay so far."

Ukyo waited for Ranma to say something else but was disappointed in his lack of response. She wondered when their relationship became so awkward. She wasn't used to this Ranma. Her Ranma was so jovial, so easy to hang around with. This Ranma seemed so cold. So angry. She pushed the thought away, knowing that he would never do anything to hurt her and she convinced herself that she had nothing to worry about. 

Trying to find something to bridge the invisible gap between them she asked, "Do you want to come with me to get some food?"

Ranma just shook his head and gestured to the table in front of him. 

"Already got some."

"Well, that never stopped you before, hun." The smile on her face was strained as she tried to coax him to leave with her.

Ranma suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He couldn't understand why Ukyo didn't get that he didn't want to spend time with her. He wondered if he was to blame for her persistence. He had always been so easily swayed before, so easily manipulated. But that was before Jusendo. There were times when he thought he could define his life into two parts; before Jusendo and after Jusendo.

Mentally sighing, Ranma took a sip of his drink and started to casually look around the gym, hoping to discourage her from further trying to get him to leave the group. He looked towards the gym doors. His eyes widened as he choked at the sight. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Ranma started choking on his food, Ukyo began to get worried. "You okay, sugar?" she asked as she patted him on the back. 

She noticed him staring at something and tracked her eyes to where Ranma was looking. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Kodachi had also come to the dance.

"I can't believe that psycho is here, she doesn't even go to this school!" Ukyo said in exasperation.

It was bad enough that Akane was at the dance, now Ukyo had one more person who would fight for Ranma's attention! With her luck the dumb Chinese bimbo would also show up and immediately glomp onto Ranma like a cat in heat, which wasn't far from the truth. She rolled her eyes when she took in Kodachi's dress. She was obviously trying to be sexy in that floor length black sequin dress with a thigh high slit and low cut halter but it didn't bother Ukyo because she knew she looked better. She had only seen a small part of Akane's dress and had been unimpressed by it. If the blue-haired girl was going for cute - because she definitely wasn't sexy - she had a long way to go. 

Everyone knows that Ranma thinks I'm the cute fiancée, she thought smugly.

It was then that Ukyo realized that Kodachi had come to the dance with a date! The okonomiyaki chef smiled at the idea that the crazy gymnast had finally given up on her Ranchan! 

She felt sorry for the poor sap that had to deal with the insane gymnast all night. She looked him over and thought he looked kinda nice too. He had broad shoulders, a lean body and a pretty but still handsome face. As she looked at him she realized that he looked familiar somehow but she couldn't place him. As it was a school dance, she assumed the boy was an upper class man she didn't know but probably saw in passing. The boy laughed in an almost feminine way and she immediately recognized him. 

It was Konatsu.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Walking through the door was Konatsu, only this time he was wearing the black suit the Chiharis had given him when Akane was kidnapped, only without the top hat and cane. But what really shocked Ranma was that Kodachi Kuno was on his arm! 

The rest of the table had turned to look at him with concerned looks on their faces. Ranma could only nod as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn't believe that Konatsu had come to a dance with both Kuno siblings!

Ranma turned to ask Akane if she knew what the kunoichi had planned for the evening and how he was going to get away with being at the dance with two different people. He was beginning to lean around the okonomiyaki chef when he saw Ukyo's smiling face turn into one of shock.

Dismissing her response, he asked Akane if she had known about Konatus' "double date" and she shook her head, having been just as shocked as he was at the turn of events. The pair laughed a little but stopped when Ukyo sat stone still and silent between them. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Ukyo then asked how they knew Konatsu was coming at all and she sat there shocked as she learned about Konatsu's friendship with Akane, his dating both Kunos, his training Akane - somehow that rankled most of all - and finally about his part in the her 'rescue.' 

Ranma and Akane had both been surprised that Ukyo knew almost nothing about what had been happening over the last five weeks. They assumed she was aware of the goings on of her own roommate. 

The table became quiet as the other occupants started to listen to the conversation, most not having heard all the details themselves. When the story was done an awkward silence came over the group before they started talking in smaller groups. Ukyo sat staring at the table and Ranma had gone back to eating. 

Mousse came in shortly after, also wearing the same suit the Chiharis had given him. He had not wanted to deprive Ranma or Sayuri a chance to go to the dance but he could not open the restaurant by himself, so he had to close for the evening. Akane had come by shortly after they were closing up one night and asked him to go with them to the dance but he felt it was a pity invitation and had promised her he would think about it after her persistently asking him. 

He had not intended to come but as he sat there home alone, the silence seemed to overwhelm him. Even when they weren't doing much but their day to day activities, there was always noise when Shampoo and Cologne were there. He missed the sound of Shampoo walking up and down the stairs, or her watching television in the living area. He even missed the sound of Cologne's cackling. He was just so...lonely at the Neko Hanten by himself. 

So he found himself getting dressed and came to the dance, despite his misgivings. When he entered the gym, he had looked around and felt a little puzzled by the decorations but shrugged it off. He had never been to a dance before and presumed that it was normal. He walked around a bit before finding his friends and joining them. Though, now that he was there, he felt out of place. Everyone greeted him warmly but Ukyo, who strangely just sat there looking confused.

"I'm stuffed!" Ranma exclaimed shortly after, patting his belly. 

"That's quite the feat for you, Saotome," Mousse said dryly. 

Ranma ignored the quip and asked the group (though everyone knew that the question was addressed to the blue-haired girl), "Whadya wanna do now?" 

It was the first dance for everyone and no one knew what they were supposed to do. 

"Why don't we go take pictures?" Akane suggested.

"Oh, yes! That sounds like a great idea," Yuka said excitedly. 

The group walked over to the picture area and stared awkwardly at the set-up. Exactly how were they supposed to pose in formal gowns with a shark head and row boat? They stood together puzzled before Sayuri decided to take charge.

She told Ranma and Akane to stand together on the bow of the dinge. Glancing at each other, they blushed a little. They moved forward causing Ukyo to finally snap out of her daze and she grabbed Ranma's arm and rushed him towards the boat, ignoring the glares from the three women behind her and the frown from Ranma. When they reached the front of the boat, Ukyo climbed in and tried to pull Ranma down to sit next to her but was shocked when he jumped out of her grip and landed on top of the shark head.

"I think I wanna be up here for the picture," he said as he sat Indian style on the shark before he looked at Akane.

Akane gave him a smile before turning her attention back to Sayuri as she directed Hiroshi and Daisuke into the mouth of the shark, telling them they should pretend to pry the mouth open. She had put all the girls in the boat with directions to look scared. 

"Mousse, come stand between the shark and the boat," Sayuri said with a smile.

"No, thank you. I think I'll sit this one out; this should be for the people who actually go to the school," he replied, trying to back out of the picture. 

"No, you should join us!" Akane exclaimed waving him forward.

"Ya, Mousse get in the picture," Ranma shouted from his perch.

Mousse waved them off, which started another round of pleas. This went on for a few more moments until Sayuri lost her temper. 

"Get in the damn picture!" she shouted at him, pointing to the place she wanted him to stand. The group went quiet as they looked at Mousse for his reaction.

Mousse stared at her for a second before quickly walking towards the spot and assuming the pose she wanted. It was engrained in him to listen to strong authoritative women. While she wasn't a martial artist and could do nothing to hurt him, she was a little scary at the moment.

Sayuri only closed her eyes in frustration. She had been trying so hard to be nice! Trying so hard to put her best foot forward but her temper got away from her. She sighed and shook it off. She knew she never had a chance with him anyways. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they had finished taking pictures and walked away, Mousse snuck a glance at Sayuri. She had really surprised him earlier. She had always been polite and sweet when she had worked at the restaurant, doing her job without complaint. So he pretty much ignored her. 

This was the first time he had seen her assert herself and he found himself smiling. It had been weeks since someone had yelled at him and he realized now, that he kind of missed it. The yelling kind of reminded him of home and his mother. 

He realized vaguely that she was kind of cute. Nowhere near as beautiful as his Shampoo but then no one was as stunning as she was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After the pictures Akane headed off to the bathroom with her friends. She walked by some tables and saw Ms. Hinako sitting in her child form, plates full of sweets in front of her. She was eating with gusto causing small pieces of food to fly around, splattering the people sitting around her, and had a rim of leftover food around her mouth. Akane giggled at her teacher's enthusiasm.

As she approached the door she saw an attractive girl headed towards her in a short gold dress that was oddly accessorized with a tie. The girl winked at her as she tried to hurry off and was surprised when Akane grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the side and waved her friends forward.

Bringing her hands up, she loosened the tie and brought it over the girl’s head, rolling it up and handing it to her.

"You've got to be more careful with your quick changes, Kon." 

She winked at her friend and went after her other friends. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was an hour or so after the dance started and Ranma and his friends were back to sitting at their table, more food in front of them. The gym was now full of students and the dancing had begun in earnest. The girls had left to go chat with their other friends.

Ranma watched as a handsome young man weaved his way through the crowd, headed in his direction. The pig-tailed boy casually stood up and made his way through the throng and greeted the boy with a casual nod.

As they passed each other, Ranma said, "Lose the earrings."

He turned around shorty after to see Konatsu bring his hands casually up to his head and then walked away subtly putting his hands in his pants pockets.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She couldn't believe it. They were slow dancing together! And during a fast dance! 

Ukyo watched as her rival batted her eyes and giggled at her partner. Ukyo's eyes narrowed when the girl had the nerve to lay her head on his shoulder like it belonged there! She had a burning feeling in her gut that was very familiar to her but she refused to acknowledge as jealousy. 

Instead she reasoned that she was worried for her friend. She knew just how violent that lunatic was and he was dating her! Her of all people! 

It had nothing to do with how handsome he looked. Or how her heart seemed to beat a little faster when she saw him smiling. 

Ukyo continued to fume as she watched Konatsu and Kodachi together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a magical night, she looked fabulous and was on the arm of the man she loved. Kodachi let out a girlish little giggle - a cackle to the rest of humanity - and moved closer to her man. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder. She loved having his arms around her as they swayed to the music. It was a fast song but it didn't matter to her, since she enjoyed being so close to him.

He was so different from all the boys she knew. He was handsome, more so even than Ranma, whom she rarely thought of anymore, other than in passing. He had a gentle way about him, almost feminine really, but was still so strong and confident that she couldn't help but be enthralled by him.

Though she was confused as to why it had taken so long for him to make a move. He had seemed interested enough but when pushed, usually with paralyzing drugs, he had perplexingly brushed off her advances. She had to commend him for his skills in evading her more...enthusiastic attempts but she was getting frustrated. 

It was time. Finally, time for her lips to be taken, for her to shed her girlhood innocence. And whom better to bestow those honors but her wonderful beau. She pulled back slightly and looked into his warm brown eyes and batted her eyes prettily at him.

Looking down, Konatsu saw the desire there and knew that this girl he had in his arms loved him, in her own twisted way. She was beautiful with her smooth skin and sexy smile. And she wanted him.

"Kon darling, kiss me."

She closed her eyes and tilted her face upwards and he knew what to do.

"Yes, but not here, not where everyone can see. I wouldn't want to ruin your reputation."

She nodded, enthralled by his gentle, raspy, and slightly husky tone. 

"There's a closet on the right side of the bleachers that we can sneak into. Meet me there in five minutes."

He brought his right hand up and brushed his fingers gently down her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. She nodded at him eagerly and he walked away, still holding her hand until only the tips of their fingers were touching. He lingered as he sent her one last look.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a long five minutes for Kodachi. She spent the time in the restroom freshening up her make-up and fixing her hair, wanting to look perfect. 

She snuck towards the wall on her tip toes, her shoulders hunched, and her arms bent as she tried to be silent. When she reached the wall she plastered herself back against it, palms flat, and slunk along the wall, turning her head left and right to make sure she wasn't seen. Reaching the closet door, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, giving herself a moment to enjoy the anticipation. 

She brought her hand forward and turned the knob, cracked open the door only wide enough for her to allow her to slide in. She had barely closed the door behind her before a hand reached out and pulled her forward and she found herself wrapped in strong masculine arms. 

Before she could take a breath she felt soft firm lips on hers. She sighed as a shiver ran through her. Melting into him she brought her arms around his neck. A groan escaped her lips as she felt his hands wander lower and gently cup her bottom.

This was everything she had ever dreamt off, and everything she had waited for.

Pulling back she placed her head on his chest and sighed, "Oh Kon, that was magnificent."

Suddenly she felt him stiffen and pull away from her. 

"What's the ...?" she began when the light suddenly went on overhead. It took a moment for her to adjust to the darkness and then her eyes widened in shock.

"Tatewaki?!?!"

"Kodachi!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Konatsu clung from the rafters and watched as the closet door burst open and Kodachi and Tatewaki ran out. The former bent over and began to dry heave and the latter wiped his mouth furiously with the back of his hand, shaking his head.

He had been through a lot with the siblings and actually had a fun time with them. He really did like them. In their own crazy ways, they loved fiercely. They loved to shower affection and attention on the one they love. It was the only time that he had ever received affection like that and enjoyed it. 

To a point. They were just too obsessive in their love and only thought of themselves, their wants, their needs. They had not once tried to see what he wanted, what he needed. They lived in their own world, only caring about what they thought love should be. 

He would have liked to be friends with the two after all this was done, but knew that would be close to impossible. For now, he would continue dating them both as he found he learned a lot about relationships from them; mainly what not to do.

So when Kodachi had once again asked him to kiss her, inspiration struck. He had already sent Tatewaki to the same closet not five minutes before, hoping he could ditch the lothario for a while before the kendoist came in search of him. He had hoped that this would teach the siblings a lesson about their aggressive amorous behavior. 

Konatsu giggled as he watched the pair beneath him. They were facing away from each other and suddenly both stood up straight and tried to run out of the gym but ran into each other instead. They both jumped back immediately, repulsed, before they turned around and raced out of the gym. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
A/N: Yeah, Konatsu is a little evil. I guess it makes me a little bit too, since I wrote him that way.

Big thanks to alwaysZutarian for being an awesome beta reader.  
Original Publication Date: October 21, 2014  
Revised: May 29, 2015


	15. Arc IV: Homecoming,  Chapter: The King and Queen

Ranma was sitting on the bleachers when his attention was drawn to a light that suddenly came from the side wall. He watched as two figures burst out of what could only have been a closet. He soon realized that it was the Kuno siblings and wonder what had happened to them as they both looked like they were going to be sick. The pig-tailed boy chuckled as he watched the pair run into each other before turning around and running out of the opposite ends of the gym.

His attention was diverted to the stage when a spot light had come on and the principal walked out. He had on what looked like a more formal version of his normal attire. His jacket was cobalt blue with red roses, rhinestones outlining each rose petal that caused it to sparkle underneath the light. Underneath the jacket was a white sequin shirt, a red and blue lei wrapped around his neck, the usual palm tree topped his head, and even though it was night, he still had his sunglasses on. His pants were the same color as the red roses and had a blue sequin stripe down the sides.

Ranma's eyes began to bleed at the sight.

"We be annoucin' the king and queen soon. Can all da nominees come to da stage?"

Set up on the middle of the stage was a small table with two crowns sitting on small plush pillows. Ms. Hinako, now in her adult form, was almost spilling out of the top of her little black dress, the bottom barely covering her behind, was standing next to the table and looked like a prize girl on some television game show.

Ranma looked at the blue-haired girl standing next to him and smiled.

"I guess we're up."

She smiled back and said, "Yup. You ready?"

With a small nod they headed to the stage with the rest of the nominees. The boys were shepherded onto the left side of the stage and the girls on the right side, both groups standing in straight lines.

Once everyone was ready, Principal Kuno nodded to Ms. Hinako who pulled an envelope from between her cleavage and handed it to him before stepping back. The Kuno patriarch opened the envelope and looked at the paper, a grin formed on his face.

"Your new Homecoming Queen is ..."

The students all leaned forward in anticipation as the principal stretched the moment out, enjoying the attention.

"...Tendo, Akane!"

Akane couldn't believe it. The principal has called _her_ name, she won. She stood there shocked, not sure of what to do.

Ranma looked over and smiled at the expression on his fiancée's face. She looked absolutely stunned. The applause started off slowly before it turned thunderous as the students clapped, stomped their feet, and wolf whistled at the announcement. He could have lived without the last reaction but shrugged it off. Akane seemed to be universally loved, which wasn't a surprise to him.

The principal beckoned her forward and she walked slowly to stand next to him, a blush forming on her face, as she clasped her hands demurely in front of her. The other nominees for queen clapped politely, clearly disappointed they didn't win.

Once the applause died down, the elder Kuno continued, "Your new Homecoming King is..."

The principal tried the same stalling tactic, this time to annoy the students for his amusement, only he stalled for too long and one of the students in the crowd threw a shoe at him.

Dodging the footwear, he cleared his throat and said, "...Saotome, Ranma!"

The pig-tailed boy smiled and walked forward. He was a little surprised when he found out he had been nominated but had gotten over it quickly. When he compared himself to the other nominees, he realized it really wasn't a contest. With his chest puffed out, he walked forward with a swagger in his step towards the front of the stage, a big smirk on his face. When he reached Akane he stood next to her and crossed his arms over his chest.

Behind them Ms. Hinako grabbed the smaller crown and Principal Kuno grabbed the larger crown and walked forward. They reached the pair at the same time and raised the crowns over their heads.

Suddenly Ranma sensed danger and quickly leaned to the right as a pair of clippers swung down where his head was seconds ago. He did a handless body flip, landing on his feet a few feet away just as the principal ran after him brandishing his clippers. Ranma quickly jumped over his head again.

When he couldn't get his hands on the newly announced Homecoming King, Principal Kuno went after the other nominees. The boys scattered and the principal turned to chase after the girls when suddenly he went flying and crashed through the ceiling, leaving a big hole in his wake.

When Ranma had jumped away Akane turned to look at the scene, confused. She only rolled her eyes when she saw the clipper and realized the entire dance was a set-up to try to cut off the winner's hair. She had watched in annoyance as the principal chased after the other boys and failed.

But she got angry when she realized that he was chasing after the girls - who were wearing high heels no less! - leaving most of them vulnerable and unable to run from the crazy principal. She moved forward and punted him with all her strength. She crossed her arms in annoyance as she watched him disappear from sight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Damn it!_

He had been so close to fulfilling his ultimate goal! If he could get to Saotome and cut that stupid ponytail off, he knew that the rest of the student body wouldn't stand a chance in defending themselves from his sheers.

All he had to do was think of some situation where he could get close to the boy. So he planned the dance, made sure that Ranma was on the ballot and that he won. He was so close to his goal only to have been thwarted at the last moment!

He sighed in defeat as he splashed down into the canal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Principal Kuno had disappeared from sight, Akane brought her gaze back down and realized her fellow students were clapping for her. She smiled back shyly and she looked over to find Ranma was also clapping and she began to blush.

The pig-tailed boy had stood back for a moment and shook his head as he watched the principal make a fool of himself chasing after the other boys on stage. He had only started forward when he saw the elder Kuno turn his attention on the girls on the other side. He had taken only a step before Akane had rushed forward and took care of the problem.

He had stared at her as she made her kick, enthralled by the sight. Her dress flowed with her movements, the bottom seemed to stretch out like a fan as her leg kicked out in front of her, and when she brought her leg down, her dress swayed back and forth against the floor as it settled. His eyes followed up her body and landed on her chest, which was heaving, whether from exertion or annoyance, he didn't know. And frankly, he didn't care. His eyes widened as he watched her cross her arms under her breasts, pushing them further up. He groaned at the sight.

Once the rest of the students on the stage came out of hiding they had started applauding Akane. He joined in but he wasn't sure if he was clapping for her kick or the sight she provided. He watched as she realized what was happening and looked over his way. The blush on her cheeks was oddly enticing and he tore his gaze away.

If things continued the way they were he was going to have a very embarrassing, very visible problem soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ms. Hinako had watched the entire proceeding with a mixture of annoyance and boredom. It had not surprised her that Principal had planned something so utterly stupid. She should have intervened but it was honestly quite amusing watching his pathetic attempts at shaving the students' hair. She shook her head at the idiocy that was the Principal Kuno's main goal in life.

Stepping towards the microphone still in the middle of the stage, she said, "Everyone please quiet down."

She gave the students a moment to do as she asked before she got annoyed at their slow response. Whipping out a five yen piece, she placed it between her index and middle finger and pointed it at the crowd that quieted immediately at the threat. She smiled at the students. Worked every time.

"That's better, thank you. Will Mr. Saotome and Ms. Tendo please come to the center of the stage? You still need to be crowned."

The pair walked up and stood next to each other as Ms. Hinako first placed the large crown on Ranma's head before placing the smaller one on Akane's. She stepped back to allow the students to give them another round of applause before speaking again.

"Now your Homecoming King and Queen will participate in the spotlight dance."

It seemed the term was a literal one as all the lights in the gym turned off and a split second later a spotlight had turned on, shining directly onto Ranma and Akane, revealing their shocked faces.

No one had told him he would have to slow dance - and by the sound of the music, there was no mistaking it would be a slow dance - if he had won. Why had no one told him?

It would have been easier if the female who won was anyone but Akane. While he desperately wanted the chance to hold her in his arms, he didn't know if he could do it without being completely self-conscious about it with the spotlight, not to mention the gossip and speculation that was sure to spread amongst the crowd. He had the unfortunate experience of being the center of the gossip mill when he declared his love to her, while not knowing it was her, during the cheerleading competition. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat. If he danced with someone else, he could have easily done it and not been embarrassed by it.

He wouldn't have wanted to dance with anyone else, though. And this was his opportunity to dance with her without the embarrassment of having to ask her himself. He would have to resist the overwhelming urge to pull her closely into him, though.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane was just so glad that Ranma won and not one of the other boys that had been nominated. She didn't want to dance with any of them; she had only wanted to be held by her fiancé. She had been hoping all night he would ask her to dance but it never happened and it looked like she was finally getting her chance.

On top of it, there were no real repercussions for it. The other students couldn't tease her about it and their parents couldn't make a big deal about it because they _had_ to do it.

She would have smiled but she suddenly felt every eye in the room fixed on her.

Did they really have to use a spotlight?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The middle Tendo sister rolled her eyes at the awkward pair on stage. Nabiki snorted at the look on her sister’s and Ranma’s faces when the spotlight hit them. They looked like deer in headlights.

She sighed as she watched Ms. Hinako give them both a gentle push to get them walking towards the stairs. Ranma had stiffened up completely, his arms and legs were stiff as he walked and he looked like a toy soldier when he moved. Akane’s face was so red that she was no longer in need of the blush that she had applied so expertly on her earlier.

_This is just embarrassing_ , the middle sister thought.

She knew the problem was the two of them were just so stupid when it came to each other. Especially when it came to showing affection. 

Next to her Taro snickered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma walked along with Akane as the crowd parted for them and they reached the center of the dance floor.

This was it. He was finally going to dance with his fiancée!

He watched as Akane turned to face him and smiled at him shyly. He wiped his now sweaty hands on the front of his pants before he reached out and put them gently on her hips.

Keeping her eyes locked on her fiancé, Akane saw him step forward and then a small shiver ran through her as she felt his large, warm hands on her hips. She reached up and put her hands on his shoulders and they began to sway with the music…

while standing two feet apart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Watching from the sidelines, Ukyo rolled her eyes when the winners were announced. While she was happy that Ranma won, she had mixed feelings about Akane winning. She had watched in amusement as the principal chased them around and cheered along with the rest of the students when he was punted through the roof.

However, she clenched her fists when Ms. Hinako announced that the King and Queen would have to dance together. It had taken everything in her power to stop herself from trying to stop them but it had been worth it. 

A grin spread across her face as she watched the two dance together like they were in middle school. A sense of relief washed through her when she realized it wasn’t just her Ranma was uncomfortable with when it came to physical affection. It seemed he didn’t like being touched by Akane either!

She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, fully enjoying their discomfort.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Pathetic,” Nabiki drawled as she continued to watch them. Next to her Taro had face faulted; not even he expected a scene that stupid. All of the students making up the dance circle had sweat dropped.

She watched for a moment more before deciding to give the pair a break.

“Come on, let’s show them how it’s done.”

Grabbing his hand, she led him to the center of the dance floor and turned towards him. He wrapped his hands around her waist, one hand going up to touch the smooth skin of her lower back exposed by her dress, which allowed him to move his thumb in small circles, the other hand rested firmly on her hip, and pulled her in close to him as possible. She placed her arms on his shoulders and clasped them behind his neck. They swayed together closely as she subtly rubbed her breasts against his chest. She smirked when he pulled her firmly against him so she could feel the large effect she was having on him. 

“How about we get out of here?” he whispered huskily into her ear.

Nabiki looked around and noticed that other couples had followed their lead and joined the dance floor.

“Soon,” she purred at him.

“Why wait?”

“I just want to see how everything goes.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “If you’re a good boy, when we get to the hotel, I'll be a bad girl and do that thing you like.”

Taro pulled back and quirked his eyebrow at her.

“Yeah?”

She only smirked at him in response - he didn't need to know that she liked it too - and he pulled her against him again. He wanted to run his hands over her luscious bottom, but he knew that in Japan, they considered public displays of affection inappropriate. He personally didn't care but he didn't want to cause Nabiki any problems. Instead he took a subtle sniff of her hair as he let himself fantasize about their future activities.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the winners were announced Gosunkugi groaned and clasped his hands to the sides of his face.

_Damn Saotome! Why_ _? Why is it always him? Now he got to dance with Akane!_

He put on his head piece with candles and pulled out his voo doo doll, spike, and mallet. He walked towards the trees on back of the stage and started nailing them, chanting, “Curse you, Saotome!”

As weak as he was, it took a couple of swings for him to impale the doll to the tree. Only the tree was made of paper and toppled over from the force and he pitched forward and fell off the stage, getting entwined in pull cables that lifted him off the floor while lowering the stage curtains. Trying to find something to grab onto he swatted his hands around blindly, hitting the light switch which turned on the disco ball before he found himself dangling ten feet off the floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Watching from the ceiling, Konatsu had cheered Akane on when she punted the elder Kuno through the roof. He was thankful that Akane had been facing the other direction and had not kicked the principal in his direction.

From the rafters he giggled as he watched his friends awkwardly dance together. After watching for a few moments - because it really was humorous - he decided to help them out. Crawling along the rafters he went to the spotlight and unplugged the unit just after someone had turned on the disco ball.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma felt himself relax a little as the dance floor slowly filled with students and the spotlight was no longer directed at them. Across from him, Akane was still smiling and he wished he had pulled her in closer when they started dancing. He was just so nervous with everyone staring at them like that! But now he regretted it as he longed to have her close to him.

Suddenly Akane lurched forward unsteadily and he opened his arms wide to catch her.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked, alarmed as he wrapped his arms around her to help her steady herself.

Hands now placed on his chest, Akane's face was pressed against his neck and she took a moment to take a whiff of his cologne and suppressed a sigh. The scent was so utterly masculine, so essentially Ranma, that all she wanted to do was rest her head on his shoulder. She forced herself to pull back a little and smiled up at him.

"Sorry, someone bumped into me and I lost my footing."

Ranma frowned for a moment. It would have taken a pretty violent motion to move her like that and his first instinct was to find the perpetrator and beat the crap out of them. But when he realized the position they were in, he let it go. She was obviously unhurt.

They both stayed there motionless, wondering if the other was going to pull back. When it became obvious that neither would, they began to sway again, forming a small circle as they danced.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nabiki smirked at Akane and Ranma. She knew it would only take a little nudge to get them dancing with each other like that. Well, it was more than a little nudge, more like a hip check. But hey, it worked.

She grabbed Taro's hand and led him towards the DJ. She needed to make sure the man would keep playing slow songs for a while. And if she couldn't convince him with words, she was sure that Taro would be willing to help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, you havin' fun?" Ranma asked Akane as they danced.

"Yeah. I really am." Akane said with a small smile. She looked around the gym and laughed. "I can't believe he went to all that trouble just to cut off someone's hair."

"Someone's? I think you mean mine."

"But how could he know you would win?"

Ranma only gave her a patronizing look in response.

"Oh...you think he rigged the entire thing."

"Bingo."

"...oh."

Ranma watched as a sad look came over her face.

"What's the matter?"

She gave him small smile and shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing, it was just nice thinking I won."

While she tried to play it off, Ranma could tell it bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

"You know, I think he only rigged it for the guys. It looked as if Ms. Hinako was always going to crown the girls, so he wouldn't bother tampering with the girls' ballots."

"You think?"

"Yup. Besides, I've heard people talking this week, everyone likes you."

Akane smiled, feeling a bit better at his words.

"Oh really? Everyone, huh?" she said sarcastically before her eyes widened a little as she realized how her comment could be taken.

Ranma knew that she was being dismissive and before he would have pretended to ignore the comment. Or reacted by insulting her, not wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But now, after her little confession the other night, he thought that it was time that he too made a small declaration of his own.

"Yeah, _everyone_ ," Ranma said softly, causing her to look down and blush.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ukyo clenched her hands as she watched Ranma and Akane dance. She had watched as Nabiki bumped Akane into Ranma. She had assumed that they would jump apart. But they didn't! They hadn't even noticed that the first song had ended!

She seethed and reached into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out two mini-spatulas that she had tucked inside just in case she needed them. She marched a few feet forward when she heard a shout.

"Happōgoensatsu!"

Suddenly, Ukyo was completely drained of all her energy, quite literally. She felt herself become paper thin and she started floating to the floor.

She wanted to scream! This had been the most frustrating and confusing night of her life! She had spent all that time primping, trying to get Ranma to notice her, and she had completely forgotten about him when she saw Konatsu.

Then she tried to get Ranma’s attention and he had once again ignored her. She fumed at that but then felt joy when she saw him dancing with Akane like he was nauseated by her touch. That had lasted only a short while before she became angry at how close they were. And rightfully so!

And now, now she was stuck unable to move. It was embarrassing, she should have at least been able to sense the attack before it came, but she was too focused on the pair in front of her.

Ukyo grumbled to herself, still falling, when suddenly she felt a pair of arms slide underneath her, carrying her limp body bridal style.

“Oh, Miss Ukyo, it’ll be okay.”

Staring down at her was Konatsu, a kind smile on his face and she felt her stomach flip. He was once again wearing that suit she had seen him in earlier. She found herself looking over him in greater detail and found that she really liked what she saw. She was so used to seeing him in a kimono or gi that she never noticed his broad shoulders, emphasized by the cut of his suit. Or the way his muscular arms bulged a little, even under all those layers, and she had definitely never noticed the strong line of his jaw.

“How about we go home, okay?”

Ukyo would have nodded if she could but it seemed he didn’t need her confirmation as he carried her out of the gym.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Konatsu had watched the entire encounter from the rafters above. He had been sad but unsurprised by her need to attack Ranma and Akane. He had no illusions that she was in love with the pigtail boy, but after hanging out with the pair, he knew she had no chance with him. It was obvious how much Ranma cared for his blue-haired fiancée but there was nothing he could or would do about it. He knew from personal experience that you couldn't help who you loved.

He was still very loyal to the chef but Akane had shown him a level of acceptance he had never expected. She had offered him friendship when he felt down and gave him help when he had needed it. He could no longer just blindly follow along with what Ukyo planned when it came to Ranma and Akane but he found that he could not go against her either. So he had decided to observe and only intervene if someone was really going to get hurt.

He looked at the girl in his arms and smiled. She looked absolutely stunning. She stood out beautifully from the rest of the girls in her choice of outfit and color. Plus she had perfectly accessorized herself!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ms. Hinako had been walking through the crowd making sure that everyone was on their best behavior when she suddenly felt a battle aura. She walked quickly to the source and had seen a known delinquent head towards the newly crowned couple with malicious intent.

She drained the girl without a second thought and headed towards a couple in the corner of the gym who seemed to have forgotten they were in public.

She glanced over at Ranma and Akane and smiled. Although the two had often caused trouble, she really liked them both. She was glad to see them working out their relationship and was happy to help.

And not because she thought it would earn her points with the handsome, mustachioed, Tendo patriarch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Still dancing, Ranma and Akane had gone through three slow songs without realizing it. Looking over Ranma's shoulder, she noticed Daisuke, Yuka, and Hiroshi sitting in that order on the bleachers.

She leaned back a little, and before really thinking about it, said, "So you think those two are ever going to get together?"

"Who?" Ranma asked.

Her eyes widened when she realized her slip; she hadn't meant to reveal her friend's secret. She hadn't even known she had spoken out loud. When she looked up she realized that Ranma was staring at her curiously and she worried her bottom lip. She could try to back out of the comment but she knew that she could trust Ranma with a secret. With a sigh she gestured with her head in the direction of the bleachers.

The pigtail boy had almost forgotten what they were talking about, he had been so focused on her mouth. It was fascinating the way her plump bottom lip would fold underneath her pearly teeth. When he glimpsed at the tip of her pink, wet tongue, he had unconsciously licked his lips. He suddenly realized that she was moving her head and Ranma looked over in the direction she indicated and snorted.

"Nah, Dai is never gonna get up the courage to ask her out."

"Dai? You mean Hiroshi, right?"

"No, I meant Dai."

Ranma looked at her suddenly concerned face before he looked back to the bleachers. He saw Yuka looking at Hiroshi without trying to look like she was looking at him and the pig-tail boy figured it out. Turning his attention back to Akane he saw her once again chewing her bottom lip as she stared at the bleachers.

"Do you think we should..." she began before Ranma's laughter interrupted her. She quirked her eyebrow at him and asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's just...this is the first time there is...relationship drama that doesn't involve either of us! I shouldn't be laughing it just makes me feel...kinda normal," he explained as he continued to laugh.

A smile formed on her face as she figured out what he was trying to say. Their lives were so bizarre at times that it felt a little alienating. She always felt so different from her friends, and from what he said, it seemed that Ranma did too. Having something in common with them, even if it was a love triangle, was a little comforting.

"So, should we say anything? Or do something?"

"No. Definitely not." When Akane continued to look conflicted he added, "Has it ever turned out well when someone has tried to 'help' us?"

A series of disasters flashed through her mind and she shook her head.

"Point taken."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A little while later, the dance had wound down and the group had decided to leave. They walked out the gym doors and Akane took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, crisp air after spending so much time in the increasingly stuffy gym.

"That was a lot of fun!" Yuka exclaimed as she did a little twirl.

"Yeah, it was!" Akane agreed. 

Reaching the gate, Yuka pointed to the right and said, "Well, I'm headed that way."

"Me too," Daisuke said, completely lying. "It's getting late, I'll walk you home."

Yuka gave him a small grateful smile that had his heart beating faster and said, "Thanks."

"You live that way too, right Hiroshi? Why don't you go with them," Sayuri said with a grin. 

Yuka blushed slightly and looked at the floor. Hiroshi looked at Daisuke, unsure of what to do. He did live near Yuka and he had planned on taking the long way home to give his friend some privacy. Daisuke just shrugged slightly, knowing there was nothing they could do, trying to get out of it would just make things awkward.

Akane gave Ranma another questioning look and he just shook his head slightly.

"Sure, okay," Hiroshi finally said, resigned to be the third wheel.

The trio headed off, leaving a grinning Sayuri, a concerned Akane, an unconcerned Ranma and an oblivious Mousse behind.

"Well, I guess I'll head off too," Sayuri said a moment later.

"It really is getting late. Mousse, would you mind walking Sayuri home? I'd feel better if you were there to keep her safe," Akane said sweetly, a mischievous grin on her face.

Sayuri kept a blank look on her face. She couldn't get mad at her friend, since she literally just did the same thing to Yuka. Secretly, she had a little thrill from getting to be alone with Mousse, even if it were for the short duration to her house.

It was a strange situation for Mousse, being asked to protect a female. But he knew Japan was very different from the Amazon village and that Sayuri, while not weak, was no martial artist. 

"Of course. Good night, Akane, thank you for including me. I had...fun," Mousse said.

He really did end up enjoying himself. He had spent the entire night chatting with students he had met at the Neko Hanten. He enjoyed the music and found the crowning and the spotlight dance hysterical. He openly laughed at Ranma (not Akane). He had even been asked to dance by several young women but he politely declined them all. When he looked at them, he couldn't help but compare them to Shampoo and found them all sadly lacking.

Akane beamed at him and said, "You're welcome. Good night."

Mousse turned and gave Ranma a small nod and said, "Saotome."

Ranma gave him a small nod back and said, "Night."

The pair watched the two leave and Ranma wondered slightly about the twinkle in Akane's eyes as she watched them. He quickly forgot about it when he realized how pretty she looked under the moonlight. But he knew that he always found her attractive, whether she was in her school uniform, her old comfortable gi, one of her many dresses, or the lovely gown she was currently in.

"Ready?" she asked once she could no longer see her friend.

"Hmm," he said distractedly before he registered what she said. "Oh, yeah sure."

They walked slowly, enjoying the evening and the company, the conversation casual and light. When they reached the Tendo home, they turned to face each other.

Akane looked up and gazed into Ranma's eyes. She had noticed over the years that they seemed to change color slightly with his mood, going from a bright blue when he was happy to a dark blue when he was angry. Tonight they seemed to be a sapphire and she couldn't help but be enthralled. She stepped forward without realizing it, wanting to be closer to him.

Ranma was staring at his fiancée and he couldn't help but inch closer as he remembered them dancing together, wanting to have her in his arms again. All night he had watched her, either while he was standing next to her or while she was across the room. He knew that they had crossed some invisible line tonight. He couldn't explain it but he felt somehow...more connected to her.

As they moved together, Ranma realized it was time to stop overthinking things and just go with his gut. He reached out and gently put his hand on the back of her head, giving her a chance to move away from his touch. She tilted her head up in acceptance and he lowered his as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Everything else seemed to disappear for him, the only thing that mattered was the girl in front of him. He was a few centimeters away from her lips when a loud crash sounded.

Surprised, they pulled back and instantly got into defensive positions. Quickly scanning the area they noticed nothing amiss before they heard the sound of two dogs barking and running away in the alley behind the house. They both laughed as they straightened from their stances and looked at each other.

Akane couldn't believe it. They were so close! Now the mood was completely ruined. She looked at Ranma and tried to smile encouragingly. She wished she knew how to get the mood back, but she was just horrible at things like this!

Ranma smiled back as disappointment washed through him. He just stared at her, not knowing what to do. The missed opportunity remained unspoken and made the once comfortable silence awkward. 

After a few more moments the awkwardness became unbearable and Akane said, "Well, I guess we better go in."

Disappointed, Ranma didn't know how to respond, so he only nodded his head.

She turned and took a step towards the door and put her hand on the knob when she stopped. _I'm not ending the night like this,_ she thought as she steeled herself. She quickly turned around and stepped forward. Going to her tippy toes, she leaned forward, pressed her lips together, and kissed his right cheek.

Pulling back, Akane tried to keep the smile on her face but she was mentally kicking herself. She had been so determined but she had simply lost her nerve at the last moment. She turned towards the door when she felt a hand grab her wrist and yank her around and she found herself pressed against Ranma. Her eyes widened as she saw him lean quickly into her.

"Oww," she cried out a moment later.

Ranma had misjudged and accidentally head butted her in his enthusiastic attempt to kiss her.

When she had turned around to go inside Ranma cursed himself. He had been pleasantly surprised and excited when Akane had turned around and leaned up to kiss him and had been slightly disappointed when it landed on his cheek. She had gathered enough courage to do what he couldn't and it was his turn to step up. He was a man, dammit! Fortifying himself, he had reached out and pulled her towards him before he could change his mind, only to miss! He was completely embarrassed and felt idiotic.

"I'm sorry!" he said, waving his hands in a warding fashion in front of himself.

Akane was rubbing her forehead slightly as she looked at him and suddenly started to giggle.

"We are really bad at this," she said as she shook her head.

"Yeah we are," Ranma said as a small smile reached his face. He felt slightly relieved that she found humor in the situation.

He reached up and put his hand on her head, rubbing his thumb over her forehead to soothe the pain.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. You know me, built like a brick," she answered with a smile.

The pig-tailed boy looked into her beautiful eyes and thought, _Fuck it_.

He leaned down and pressed his lips gently onto her still smiling mouth. She was shocked for a second, remaining motionless before she returned the kiss. It was light and gentle and sweet. She found herself melting into him, enjoying the wonderful warm feeling that started to course through her body.

Ranma had been about to pull away, thinking he messed up - again - when he felt her respond. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt her soft plump lips move on his. Her lips tasted like vanilla and he wanted more. He tilted his head to the side as he continued to kiss her, enjoying the sensation, when he was surprised by the feeling of her warm wet tongue brushing against him. He moaned and opened his mouth to her request.

Akane had no idea what she was doing, and for once, she didn't care. She had completely let go and went with instinct. All she knew was that she didn't want to stop. His firm lips felt so good against hers and all she wanted to know was what he tasted like. Before she knew what she was doing, she found her tongue licking his full upper lip. When he opened his lips to her, she slipped her tongue in and began to explore his warm mouth. She started off slowly, licking the inside of his lips and then brushing her tongue against the bottom of his teeth. But when she grazed the tip of his tongue, the warmth that had been growing throughout her body seemed to turn white hot. As their tongues danced, she moved closer to him and put her hands on the back of his head pulling him further down towards her as her other hand began to play with his pigtail.

Feeling her tongue on his, Ranma lost what little control he had left and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her as close to him as he could, but that still wasn't close enough. His hands were clasped at her lower back and the left began rubbing up and down until he went higher and felt the soft, smooth skin exposed by her dress and he moaned again. He had been absolutely fascinated by the sensual sight all night and feeling her warm skin underneath his fingers without a barrier between them caused a fire to grow in his belly as his blood began to pool into the lower part of his body.

She moaned a little as she suddenly felt something hard pressed between them and she instinctively rubbed herself against him. Suddenly, a tingling sensation she had never felt before started in her lower body, causing her to squeeze her legs together. She had the overwhelming need to rub her thighs together as she wriggled against him, trying to pull herself as close to him as possible. Somehow, pressed against his body as she was, it still didn't feel like enough. She felt her core began to throb with need as her panties dampened. For the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to truly _want_ someone.

Ranma wanted to keep going, to keep her pressed against him. This had been the most enjoyable experience of his life and he knew it could only get better. His right hand had moved from her waist upward until he was lightly touching the swell of her breast. Realizing he might have gone too far, he started to pull back but she surprised him by turning her body into his touch so that he was fully cupping her in his hand. His stilled for a moment before he began to massage her lightly, feeling the soft skin of the top of her breast with his fingertips. He loved the heavy feel of her breast in his hands and her soft moans of pleasure were the most arousing thing he had ever heard and they stroked his male ego.

She thought she was going to explode. She never thought her body could feel this good. His hands were so large and calloused, she assumed he would be rough with her but he wasn't. He was being so careful with her and she found she loved the way his fingers moved against her skin. Shivers ran through her body at the way his hands were firmly squeezing her. He had always been good with his hands and she wondered what else his hands could do to her body. She suddenly wanted more. Wanted him to stop being so careful with her. To see the pleasure he could bring her if she snapped the last vestiges of his control.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be kissing Akane like this. That she not only allowed him to touch her but she'd be so _willing_ in his arms. But as she continued rubbing herself against his manhood, he knew, in the back of his head that they were going too far too fast. He never, ever wanted her to regret what they did because they got lost in the moment. He gave himself a moment more to enjoy the feeling of her rubbing herself against him, the feel of her skin against one hand, her firm breast in the other, as he continued to explore her mouth.

It took everything in his power to pull back but he knew it was the right thing to do. He looked down and her eyes were closed, her long lashes lying on her cheeks and her lips swollen from their kissing. She was breathing unsteadily, as she tried to catch her breath from their activities. When her eyes fluttered open, he could see that she looked slightly dazed and his ego swelled at the thought that he was the one who made her feel that way.

He wondered if this was what she would look like if she were lying underneath him. Panting with desire, her cheeks flushed pink in pleasure. Her legs wrapped around him, her nails clawing down his back. Their hot sweaty bodies writhing together in pleasure as he thrust himself into her, over and over. Her screaming his name.

The image was so erotic that he almost lost his resolve. He wanted nothing more than to pull her against him once more until he turned fantasy into reality. Instead he rested his forehead on hers as he tried to calm himself down.

Akane took another breath as she closed her eyes. It took her a moment to wonder why Ranma pulled back but she understood that they needed it. For heaven's sake, they were still standing on the front step! When her breathing calmed, she said in a whisper, "I'm gonna...," still unable to form a coherent thought, she waved vaguely at the door to indicate she was going inside.

"’K...I'll be in in a sec," he replied in a husky tone that she had not heard before.

His voice caused her already excited body to tremble slightly and she wanted desperately to pull him down for another kiss. Instead, she nodded dumbly at him before turning around. Putting her hand on the door knob, she twisted it and pulled on the door but it wouldn't open. Confused, she tried a couple more times before she realized that the door swung in and she had to push. Finally getting the door open, she turned back, embarrassed by her mistake and checked to see if Ranma was laughing at her only to find him still smiling at her dazedly. She sent him a smile as she walked forward, only to hit the doorjamb with her shoulder. Now feeling downright mortified she hurried in and closed the door behind her. She turned towards the hall but leaned back against the door instead. She brought a hand up to touch her smiling mouth as she remembered the sensation of his firm lips on hers and the intoxicating taste of him.

On the other side of the door, Ranma had placed his forehead against the door. He would have found Akane's troubles with the door funny but he was having a hard time standing himself. Besides, it was so cute the affect he had on her. His legs felt like jelly and he now understood the term, weak in the knees.

He had wanted for so long to kiss Akane - ever since they were training for the ice skating competition and she dared him to kiss her - and it was totally worth the wait. The kiss was better than anything he dared to dream of. His only regret was he should have done it sooner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** About damn time! I hope it was worth the wait. Just so you know, the kissing scene was not supposed to go this way. I planned a short sweet kiss but when I wrote it out, it felt flat and I had a mini Akane and Ranma glaring at me in my head, demanding that I heat it up. These two write themselves.

Big thanks to **alwaysZutarian** for her beta help. She added to the heat asking me to go into Akane’s reaction some more. 

Shout out to **Flameraven1** who guesses Prinicpal Kuno’s plan and to **BiGDeal** for guessing Ms. Hinako would drain Ukyo.

Original Publication Date: October 27, 2014

Revised: May 29, 2015


	16. Arc V: The Breaking Point, Chapter: Revelation

The morning after the dance, Akane woke up and snuggled into her blankets, a wide smile on her face. The previous night had been so wonderful it almost felt like a dream. She never thought she and Ranma would get to the point where they would actually share a kiss! She had always hoped they would and she had dreamed of it often enough, but to actually have happened?! She giggled.

She couldn't help it. She was just so happy. Almost giddy.

She thought over her feelings and came away very happy. She loved the way she felt when he had his arms around her. There were a few times when they were physically close but she remembered them all so clearly, and realized that they fit together almost perfectly. When Ranma had risked his life for her by offering himself to the Orochi, she had splashed him with hot water and he had jumped out of the monster's mouth and caught her in midair. Despite falling from such a height, the moment he held onto her, she felt safe. Then when they finally beat the monster, he had taken a moment to just hold her to his side. Standing there she wanted to put her head on his shoulder and realized how easily it would have rested there.

After the fight over the battle dogi, they had ended up on a park bench together, with her sitting on his lap. It had been surprising how comfortable she felt there and had tentatively asked if they could remain that way for a while. She had wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer to him, but she knew they weren't ready for something like that. More recently she thought of how it had felt to wake up in his arms, even in his girl form, they seem to fit together. While she wasn't attracted to women, it was easy to forget his physical change, because regardless of his body, Ranma was always Ranma. Then when she woke up with him spooning her, it felt wonderful being tucked into him. Their bodies seem to mold to each other so well.

She loved the smell of him, it was always musky and so masculine; a mix of the basic soaps he used combined with the slight scent of perspiration from his almost constant motion. She loved the taste of him. She licked her lips as she realized that she could get very intoxicated with his mouth. She especially loved the way it felt when she rubbed herself against him. Just thinking about it had her tingling in a very private area. It was still a new feeling to her but one she really didn't mind at all.

There was a part of her that was a little worried about what he thought of her. She had reacted so strongly to him that she surprised herself. But she couldn't stop herself, everything he had done had caused so many sensations in her. Sensations she never expected or could have even imagined. She didn't regret her actions for a second, though she wondered if he would think less of her for being so...wanton, for the lack of a better word. She brushed the doubt away and grinned to herself as she remembered his _big_ reaction to her.

_No_ , she thought happily, _he didn't seem to mind my actions at all_.

She shook her head when she realized that she was acting like a pervert. But she didn't dwell on it because she was just too happy. She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head in embarrassment as her body became warm at the memory, the tingly feeling moved over the rest of her body.

She shot up in bed a second later and frantically looked at her clock.

_Shoot!_

She jumped out of bed and hurriedly pulled on her running clothes. She had been so lost in her thoughts she had almost forgotten about her morning run and training with Konatsu.

A few minutes later she met up with the kunoichi who was waiting patiently for her. They did their normal run in silence, their breathing and the sound of their feet hitting the pavement creating a soothing rhythmic tune.

After their run they had stopped in the empty lot near her home. They began their cool down stretching. Konatsu congratulated her on her win and began to tell her about his evening. A few minutes later, the blue-haired girl was on the ground, breathless, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Konatsu! You're joking, right?" Akane said, still laughing.

She had never heard anything as funny as what Konatsu did to the Kuno siblings. While it was a bit disturbing, she thought the punishment as fitting their various crimes.

"Nope. I do hope it teaches them a lesson, but I doubt it," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, I won't hold my breath," Akane said a little more soberly.

"So how did your night end?" Konatsu asked.

He had decided not to tell her about his early departure, not wanting to have to explain why Ukyo had been drained of her ki.

"It-it was good!" she squeaked, unprepared for the question.

The kunocihi's eyebrows rose in question when she blushed fiercely at the question and looked away. However, she could not hide the wide grin that stretched across her face, leading him to only one conclusion.

"Exactly how good, was it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a teasing way. His suspicions had been confirmed as she grew even redder. He knew Akane wasn't one to kiss and tell so he added pragmatically, "Well, I hope you two used protection at least."

Her eyes grew wide and she spluttered, "We didn't...it's not what you...it was just a kiss!" She diverted her eyes, knowing that it wasn't just a kiss. She chose not to comment about Ranma's roving hands but she reasoned that it wasn't really a lie and her friend didn't need to know all the details.

Konatsu giggled at her indignation and he had to remind himself that she was not raised as a kunoichi and thus was much more reserved about such things. Though it disappointed him a little that they hadn't sealed the deal, he was happy that they at least ended the night on a kiss. Although with the way she had evaded her eyes he assumed that wasn't the only thing that happened.

"Well, I'm happy for you," he said sincerely. He was going to drop the subject but couldn't resist the chance to tease her a little more and hopefully give her some helpful advice too. With a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, he added, "Although when you do have sex with Ranma I do hope you remember to use protection. Condoms or the pill."

Konatsu gave her a wink and then watched in amusement as she sputtered at him incoherently.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back at the Tendo dojo, Ranma was going through some complex katas that constituted his daily warm-ups. What would require anyone else's entire concentration and caused them to sweat, he did flawlessly while his mind was miles away. He was glad that these moves were second nature to him because he had never been more unfocused on his martial arts in his life. And for once, didn't care.

Goofy smile spread across his entire face, his thoughts were completely focused on what happened the previous night.

He'd actually kissed Akane! And she’d enjoyed it. _More_ than enjoyed it going by her reaction. His ego had to swell at that. He still couldn't quite believe that she had kissed him back and so enthusiastically. He had thought a lot about kissing her, especially after the neko-ken incident, and he always thought it would be sweet and innocent. He never thought they would get so carried away so quickly.

Though when he thought it over, the fireworks that always existed between them - the ones that caused their arguments to be so heated - would definitely affect them in other ways. But he never knew before what that could mean, being inexperienced with what really went on between men and women. He wasn't stupid, he knew about sex and kissing but never having experienced either, so how was he to know that those fireworks meant passion? Now that he did, he couldn't be happier.

He let his mind wander into other things that the two might have done had they not stopped.

He didn't regret putting a halt to their activities last night. Not really. He knew it was the right thing to do. Would he have liked to have experienced more? Definitely. He'd love to have trailed some kisses down her neck. And, after feeling her breast in his hand, he was naturally curious to how her bottom would feel in the same hand. Or both hands.

Okay, so maybe he regretted it a little. But ultimately he had done the right thing.

Only slightly sweaty and breathing just a bit heavier, more from his thoughts than physical exertion, he decided he had enough for the morning and walked towards the house. He wanted to take a bath before Akane got back from her run and wanted to take some time today getting dressed to look nice for her. He thought that maybe using the cold water to clean off would be a good idea. His thoughts had run away from him and he needed to cool down.

Ranma walked through the house into the antechamber of the furo and stripped off automatically. He threw a clean towel over his shoulder and slid the door open. He walked in, closing the door behind him. He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened in shock.

Akane had just stood up from the bath and he noticed that her eyes had widened too. As much as he knew his eyes should stay on her face, they drifted down of their own accord.

Her creamy skin was glistening from the water and his eyes roamed her body, taking in her slender neck, down to her shoulders as they focused on her breasts. He thought vaguely that her breasts _had_ grown since the last he saw them in the bath. His eyes locked on one particular water drop that had begun to trail down the valley of her chest and he watched as it crept slowly down her body, growing larger as it went. His eyes followed it as it went down her slender waist, sliding right around her belly button. When it disappeared into a small patch of dark hair, he gulped as he felt his body react to the sight.

His eyes flew back up to her face, knowing that this time, he was going to get pounded for being a pervert, and thinking he deserved it. But he was surprised to see that her eyes, while still wide, were definitely no longer focused on his face. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Flustered by Konatsu's comments, Akane had done horribly during their training that morning. The kunoichi had been able to find her quickly during their game of hide and seek and she had barely hit her targets when working with her kunai. Clearly unable to concentrate on her training, she went home early.

She headed straight for the bath, wanting to shower and come down before breakfast, hoping to be able to spend time with Ranma before he had to go work that day. She went quickly through her routine and was just stepping out of the bath when she heard the door slide open. Her head flew up to see Ranma coming in, sliding the door behind him. Completely naked.

When he looked up and her gaze locked on his, she saw the shock on his face and she knew immediately that he had not known she was in there. Then she watched as his eyes started to trail down her body. Her first reaction was one of anger, but when her own eyes had started their own decent down his body, she forgot about any indignation she felt.

She loved his broad shoulders, his defined chest, the way his stomach muscles were outlined, and wondered how they would feel under her fingers. Her eyes had gone lower and she stared completely fascinated by what hung between his legs. She had seen him naked before but that time she had been too surprised and shocked to really catalogue what she was seeing. With their activities the night before and the comments from Konatsu, she found herself riveted to the sight.

When he started to grow before her eyes, there was no way for her to look away. Not that she tried very hard, or at all. She watched until he was standing full and proud at attention. She gulped at the sheer size of him and unconsciously licked her lips, she squeezed her thighs together as she felt her body react to the sight. She finally snapped out of her daze when she saw _it_ twitch. Her eyes flew up to his face and she saw that he was beet red.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This was it. He was going to die. She was going to kill him. There was no way she could have missed his reaction to her. It didn't help his reaction that her nipples had grown hard. Nor the way she licked her lips seductively. It would probably help his cause if he could take his eyes off of her, but if he was going to die, he wanted to enjoy the sight for a few moments more. It would totally be worth it.

"I'm...I'm sorry! I didn't...the sign..." Ranma finally stammered out.

His eyes darting over her body again, taking in her slim, toned legs. He watched as she bent down and picked her towel off the edge of the tub and quickly wrapped it around herself. She walked towards him and he noticed that her face was probably as bright as his was and the color had spread to her chest. He braced himself for the hit that was sure to come but was surprised when she walked right past him.

"It's okay, I-I understand. Just...check next time," she said from behind him. He breathed out a sigh of relief, surprised but happy that she had not reacted badly to the situation.

He completely missed her gaze lingering on his butt before she walked out of the room.

He went towards the scrubbing stool and looking down at himself and decided that yes, he was definitely going to need some cold water.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Breakfast that morning would have been a little awkward for Ranma and Akane. After the kiss, both had been unsure of how to interact with the other after such a large shift in their relationship. But after the incident in the bathroom, the pair could barely look at each other. When they came face to face upon entering the room, they stopped in their tracks and their eyes became wide as a flush settled over their faces. They looked away from each other and rushed to their respective places. They both wanted to sit close to each other but neither was daring enough to breech the small gap between them. Instead, they sat stiffly, their faces titled downwards as they stole peeks at each out of the corners of their eyes. They tried to calm their nerves and their flushes as the rest of the family filed in.

The rest of the family, well the women, could not fail to notice their strange behavior but for once they decided to leave the couple alone. Nodoka had presumed from the blushes - and the distinct lack of yelling and stiff postures - that something must have happened last night and while she was curious, she wasn't going to push either of them. She was also patting herself on the back for having a hand in pushing them together. Nabiki had left shortly after their dance and assumed they were embarrassed at having danced so close to each other. In public no less. She scoffed at their perceived shyness and felt it best to not goad them, knowing from experience that it only brought about denials. Kasumi had no clue what happened and was just happy they were only being awkward with each other and had not reverted to their past behavior that included property damage. The fathers ate oblivious as ever, Soun missing all interaction hidden behind his newspaper and Genma’s focus solely on his food.

After breakfast the family scattered to do their various activities, leaving the two teens together. Ranma was the first to break the silence.

"Ummm...so what are you doing today?"

"I don't have any plans and I'll have to do homework at some point," she replied not really looking him in the eye. "How about you? Are you going to work today?"

"Yeah, in fact, I've got to go soon to help Mousse get ready for the day."

Akane's head dropped a little as disappointment washed through her. She had so wanted to spend some time with him today but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Worse, the little time they had together had been awkward. She sighed to herself.

Ranma, too, was disappointed and said before thinking, "Well, when I come back do you want to...?"

Akane looked up expectedly, a small smile on her face.

Ranma froze. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just knew he wanted to spend time together but didn't think about how to do it. He wracked his brain before blurting out, "Help me with my homework?"

Akane raised her eyebrow and looked at him oddly. This was probably the first time since she met Ranma that he had volunteered to do homework. She thought that maybe he had just wanted to spend time with her and blushed at the idea.

"Yeah, okay," she said softly.

Ranma gave her a grin and took off for the Neko Hanten. Later that evening, he came home tired and smelling like sweat and food. After taking a quick bath he pulled on his typical black pants and cotton tank top before he gathered his books and headed towards Akane's room, when he reached the door he found it already open. Akane was sitting on her bed reading a magazine, her school books stacked on the table, ready for their study session.

Ranma took a moment to look at her and smiled at the sight. She was lying on her side, her head propped on her right hand as she flipped the magazine with her left. She looked so cute lying there in a tank top and short skirt. He took a moment to enjoy the way the skirt showed off her shapely long legs. The way the tank top showed off her breasts and how wonderful her cleavage looked pressed together. He was about to knock on the door jamb when she grabbed her magazine and dropped on her back bringing the magazine over her face. She brought her legs up at an angle and he watched as her skirt slowly fell down her thighs, and as it settled, the skirt barely covered her bottom. From his angle at the door, he caught a glimpse of her underwear. He realized he had been utterly wrong before and blue-polka dotted panties suited her just fine. Ranma gulped and closed his eyes. Akane lying on her back on her bed was too close to the other images that had been running through his mind all day.

He had always had some daydreams of girls - he was a teenage boy after all - but lately it seemed he lacked control of when the images hit him and his reaction to those thoughts. When he first got to Nerima he had the occasional thoughts of Akane. While he denied it, he couldn't help but notice how cute she was. So naturally he had imagined what it would be like to kiss her.

Shampoo had occasionally starred in some of his thoughts, especially after she had stripped down in front of him. The dreams of her often occurred after one of the many times she showed up in his bath or in his bed, but what teenage boy wouldn't have those types of dreams after being exposed to a body like that? Shampoo was one of those girls that was built to make a guy think of sex, she was all curves. He remembered how his heart had beat so fast in his chest when he was trying to save her from Mamolin by giving her a kiss. He knew though, that his physical reaction had to do more with the act - it being his first kiss - than who the act was with. As he got to know her better he realized that all Shampoo was was a pretty face and hot body. While he was attracted to her physically he didn't like the person underneath.

He'd even had the stray thought of Kodachi; it was hard to not notice her body in the skimpy leotard. Especially when she bounced around everywhere, and he wasn't thinking about the way she ran. But while she was also physically attractive, she kind of frightened him with her psychotic behavior.

The only girl he never really dreamed about was Ukyo, partly because she was often dressed like a boy but mainly because although she was cute, he still thought of her more as a boy than a girl. His childhood memories of his friend overshadowed everything else.

As time passed and he got to know all the girls better, his thoughts had centered more and more on Akane. At first he thought it was simply because he was around her more than any of the other girls. But as he slowly - very slowly - began to acknowledge his feelings for her (at least to himself) he realized his desire for her increased with his love for her. While he still looked at other girls in passing, none of them affected him the way she did.

When his mother had found him dressed in the sailor fuku (thanks to Happosai), he was shocked that Akane had agreed to allow him to peep on her to help prove his manliness. He didn't really understand his mother's logic in thinking peeping proved him manly but he was not only willing to go along with the plan to save himself from seppuku, but also because he could not believe his luck at essentially being given permission to look at Akane. Naked!

When she tricked him by wearing a bathing suit in the furo, he did not have to feign his disappointed because it was very real. He had never spent a more restless night in his life as that night, his mind conjuring its own images of what he missed. When he finally was able to fall asleep, his dreams were sexually charged and starred his blue-haired fiancée. After that day he found himself thinking about and looking at her body more often but he was still able to reign in his thoughts, lest he become the pervert she had accused him of being.

However, after the kiss last night he could do nothing today but think about her. And that was before the bathroom incident. After that, his mind had started to imagine all the things that they could have done against the front door the previous night. Or in the hot steamy water of the furo this morning. Or on the breakfast table after everyone had finally left them alone.

His imagination was only spurred on and further inspired by knowing exactly what she looked like naked and dripping wet. Plus with all the new sensations he had discovered the previous night, his thoughts had run amuck. So much so that he had almost spilled several bowls of noodles from being thoroughly distracted. He was sure that Akane wouldn't have halted their activities had he not stopped them first. The thought made him happy that she had become so wrapped up in what they were doing, that she trusted him enough to let go of her inhibitions.

But part of him wondered if he deserved her. The insecurities he had when he thought she preferred Sota, or even Shinnosuke, to him resurfaced. There really wasn't much he could offer her other than himself and while he may act confident, he had doubts like everyone else. The only area in his life where he was really sure of himself was in his martial arts and even that had taken a hit during his fight with Saffron. He had been so close to losing her, to letting her...die.

No, he probably didn't deserve her but it didn't matter, as he didn't think he could live without her. Twice in Jusendo he had thought that she had died and for a few moments the thought of life without her was too painful to bear. So, knowing he couldn't stay away from her, he would just have to try to do his best to be the man she deserved.

Finally shaking himself from his winding thoughts, Ranma knocked on the door and was greeted by Akane sitting up on her bed, giving him a wide smile.

"Yo," he said more calmly than he felt.

"Hi! Did you just get back?"

"No, I came back a little while ago, I just needed a bath first." Feeling slightly awkward, he waved his books in the air. "You ready to study?"

"Sure."

Akane inched herself off the bed and Ranma tried not to stare at her legs as the action caused her skirt to hike up even more. He turned his gaze and headed to her desk quickly. She soon joined him and sat down, leaving more space between them than necessary. He realized that she must still be feeling a little awkward from this morning.

They worked for a while and Ranma looked at her out of the corner of his eyes again, realizing that she wasn't going to bring up their encounter in the bathroom and was thankful for it. He didn't want to talk about it, but he would think about it. A lot. When he was alone.

For her part, Akane had decided to push it out of her mind. It had obviously been an accident and he had meant no harm. Part of her felt upset at being caught naked by him, again, but mainly she was embarrassed at having stared at him for so long. But she was not going to be sorry about it. Or ever forget the image of him standing there in his excited state.

Ranma had an amazing physique, every single part of his body was defined. With how active he was, she wasn't surprised. It just wasn't something she thought much about, only because he tended to wear very loose fitting shirts, which hid his form well. Too well in her opinion. Now that she had seen him in all his glory, she knew exactly what she had been missing out on. She had, of course, seen glimpses of his body when he walked around in his cotton ribbed tank tops but that only showed off his strong, muscular arms and wide shoulders. It did nothing for the eight-pack abs she now knew dwelled beneath his clothing. Or the tight ass that was hidden beneath his baggy pants.

She had spent a better part of the day getting lost in thinking about what she saw, the thoughts creeping up on her when she least expected it. Glancing at him while she was pretending to think over a problem, her mind had begun to wander again and she had to force her gaze back to her book. She was beginning to think that she was turning into a pervert. Maybe she had picked it up from one of the boys she had beat up, she thought sarcastically. But the idea of catching _anything_ from those idiots made her feel slightly nauseous and she was able to focus on her assignment.

As they worked they began to move closer together until their sides were grazing each other. Wanting to be even closer to her, Ranma had pulled out his math homework and pretended he needed help figuring out the equations, which forced her to lean in and share his book.

"Does that make sense?" she asked after explaining a problem to him.

"Yeah," he answered.

He wondered why she was looking at him expectantly and finally realized that she wanted to see him do the problem. He looked down at his page anxiously, he had been so busy looking at her, he hadn't been listening to what she was actually saying. He was relieved to see that it was a problem he understood and solved it quickly.

Akane leaned over to check his work and was happy that he had got it right. She tilted her face towards him and graced him with a smile.

"Perfect! You picked that up pretty easily."

It was then that she realized how close their faces were and that he had a look in his eyes that she had only seen once before. She unconsciously bit her lip in anticipation.

"Well, I had a good teacher," he said in a low husky tone that caused a shiver to run up her spine.

Ranma's gaze dropped down to her mouth and he watched as she continued to bit her lip, a slight blush forming over the bridge of her nose.

"But you're the one who did the work," she said softly.

"Ummm....then maybe...maybe I deserve a reward?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, what were you thinking of?" she asked, her eyes darting to his lips as she leaned closer to him.

"I was thinking of..."

Ranma didn't finish the statement and instead leaned in to gently place his lips on hers. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her soft lips on his. Akane's eyes closed right before his lips reached hers and she sighed as a tingling sensation spread through her body at the feather light touch.

When he pulled back Akane opened her eyes and smiled at him before shyly looking down at her paper and tucking her hair behind her ear. Another goofy smile spread across his face, Ranma went back to finishing the rest of the assignment.

A little while later, they had both finished their homework. They closed their books and sat there awkwardly, wondering how to stretch out their time. Neither having dated before - neither counted dates that they went on as a part of schemes, revenge, or blackmail as real dating - this was all unchartered territory for them and they were unsure of how to act.

"Well, I guess I'd better go to bed," Ranma said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I guess," Akane replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Ranma stood up and gathered his things in one hand and headed towards the door. He paused when he reached it and turned around to find that she had followed him and was standing right in front of him. He took a small step forward.

"Thanks for all the help."

"Anytime."

The pig-tailed boy reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before leaning in and giving her another kiss. While Ranma was still unsure of himself, initiating kisses with his fiancée was less daunting now that he knew she enjoyed them. For her part, Akane - who enjoyed their activities immensely and was happy to repeat the process as often as he liked - stepped into the kiss and put her hands on his chest as she moved her mouth against his.

This kiss was different than the one they shared the previous night. While their first kiss was frenzied from years of unreleased tension, this one was more exploratory. Their lips moved together softly before Ranma used his tongue to run along the seam of her mouth. She opened up for him. Their tongues danced together in a slow easy rhythm. Each enjoyed the feeling of being together and learning about the pleasure that a kiss could bring. This time it was Akane who stopped, but she didn't pull away. She stepped even closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as he brought his arms around her in a firm embrace. He still gripped his books firmly in one hand so he wouldn't give into the temptation to change their kiss into something more. They stayed that way for a moment before they separated.

"'Night, 'Kane."

"Good night, Ranma."

She closed the door behind him and then flopped on her bed, smiling at the ceiling. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. She took a moment to just soak in the feeling before gathering her things and getting ready for bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma whistled as he walked out for lunch, ignoring the knowing looks and whispers that followed him. While they had kept quiet about the progression of their relationship to everyone, the students of Furinkan couldn't help but notice a change in their most notorious couple. The first being that neither of them objected to being called a couple any longer. The second being that they had been so different since the dance. They no longer fought, they bickered plenty, but it definitely lacked the animosity it previously held and now had a teasing element to it. If it were any other couple, the students would have called it flirting. No one could miss the smiles plastered on either of their faces or the looks they sent each other during class.

For once the pig-tailed boy didn't care what people thought or were saying about him because it had been the best week of his life. He smiled as he thought of all the nights he and Akane had spent "studying" in her room. He would have been perfectly happy to have ignored his homework and spend time just hanging out with her, but his fiancée was too diligent a student to ignore her work. So they had worked on their assignments every night, which shocked all of his teachers as he turned in every assignment and had done them correctly (they were all surprised at the quality of his work).

What they didn't know was that he was compensated rather handsomely by Akane. She had kept up the reward system he initiated the first night but with some changes. She only kissed him after he completed an entire assignment. At first he would rush through them in his eagerness for a kiss but when he realized that she would have him correct his mistakes, he had spent a little more time on his work. When she was finally satisfied with one assignment, they would take a "break" before starting another. After their assignments were completely done, she would often reward him with more kisses

On the second night, things began to heat up, and after some hesitation, he lifted her until she was sitting on his lap. Perched on his lap she was able to wrap her arms around his neck, as she played with his hair. Or ran her hands up and down his arms before gripping his shoulders tightly. From that position, he let one of his hands explore her body. As he gained courage, he would slowly let his hands roam under her shirt before he enveloped her large mounds in his hands, massaging her gently over her bra. The action always caused her to grind her bottom enticingly on his lap, rubbing against his excitement.

On the third night he was surprised when he came into her room to find her wearing the cutest, shortest pair of sleep shorts he had ever seen paired with a simple cotton tee. He loved her new pajamas because not only did she look adorable, but sexy as hell. After such positive responses from her, he became more sure of himself and when they finished their homework, he pulled her onto his lap before their books were closed. His appreciation for her new clothing only increased as he realized it allowed his hands to roam all over her legs, feeling all the soft silky skin in the process. When his hands found themselves up her shirt, he was surprised to find no barrier between him and her full, firm breasts. He had pulled back slightly giving her a surprised, questioning look. She had only responded by blushing furiously and pushing herself further into his hand before grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him fiercely. 

They had not done much more than that but Ranma was still insanely pleased. He was finally able to touch her when he pleased, whether it was a simple affectionate caress across her cheek or something more passionate. But what truly made him happy was that she was so receptive to him. Not, only receptive but encouraging. By unspoken agreement they avoided her bed, not trusting themselves to stop before things went too far. The intensity of their first kiss lingered in both their minds and the more time he spent with her, they knew it would only get harder to pull back given the temptation.

But it was more than just the making out that he enjoyed; it was the little things they shared as they grew closer. She seemed to drop her guard around him when they were alone; he had heard her laugh more this last week than in the two years since he met her. There was the casual way they touched each other that they would have never dreamed to do before they kissed. When everyone had assumed they had gone to bed, they would sneak onto the roof and just talk. He shared with her stories from his travels with his father and she shared with him stories of her life at home. He didn't regret his childhood, as he knew it was what made him the martial artist he was now, but he envied her stable home life and the fact that her childhood friends were always there for her, always supportive of her. While his childhood friends all seemed to want to kill him at some point, or at least enact some sort of revenge.

It was as if he had jinxed himself with those thoughts. Just as he was reaching the tree he was going to meet Akane at - she had stayed behind to discuss something with their teacher - his danger senses tingled and he jumped back just before the ground he was standing on exploded.

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!!!"

The pig-tailed boy looked on passively as a heavy, red umbrella was pointed at his face by a fanged boy clad in yellow, wearing his trademark bandana. Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Geez, pork-butt. What the hell'd I do to ya now?" Ranma shouted in irritation.

Ranma was surprised when Ryoga just dropped his umbrella and smiled at him before shrugging.

"Nothing. But just walking up to you and saying 'Hey, Ranma!' felt really wrong."

Ranma laughed as he realized how true those words were. Despite the frequency of which Ryoga attacked him and wished him harm, the pig-tailed boy had always considered him a friend. Their fights had only been really contentious when it involved a specific blue-haired girl. While it bothered him that Ryoga was so enamored with _his_ fiancée, Ranma couldn't fault his taste, only his persistence.

He did blame Ryoga for using his curse to get close to Akane. It always pissed Ranma off that his curse had caused so many problems between him and his fiancée but Ryoga used his cursed form to get closer to her and often used it to cause a fight between the pair.

But he sensed a change in Ryoga after Jusendo. When he showed up at the wedding he had seemed wholly focused on the nannichuan and had not mentioned the wedding at all. With Ryoga's absence in Nerima, Ranma had hoped that meant that he had finally given up on Akane, and with the greeting he got, it seemed like a good possibility. But he couldn't ignore the idea that Ryoga had merely been lost and wandering around this entire time. His next question was designed to test that theory.

"So, where ya been, man? Did ya get lost again?" he asked casually.

"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryoga shouted, his face turning red in irritation, a sure sign that he had been lost. The fanged boy then lowered his head and mumbled something as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Whadya say?"

"I said that I was staying at Akari's farm. I was helping her out when I got lost this morning, alright?" he screamed back in embarrassment. Ryoga hated his curse, but worse he hated being reminded of it. Especially by Ranma.

Ranma chuckled and shook his head at the expected response but he latched on to one comment that pleased him.

"Sooooooo, Akari, huh?" he queried with a raised eyebrow.

The pig-tailed boy watched as a blush formed on his friend's face.

"Yeah. I've been staying there since...for a while now. I help out with the farm work."

Ryoga wanted to avoid thinking of the wedding. While he had finally accepted Akane's lack of feelings for him and abundance of feelings for Ranma, it still hurt him.

"And how are things with Akari?"

"Good," he replied with a faraway look on his face.

"Does that mean you've given up on...?"

"Yeah." Ryoga looked him in the eye and added, "I never had a chance with her. I realized...a lot after Jusendo. I won't interfere again." Ryoga looked at the ground and added in a softer voice, "This isn't the first time I've been in Nerima since the wedding. But as soon as I figure out where I am, I leave right away."

Ranma smiled at that, relieved that he would no longer have to deal with Ryoga's crush on _his_ Akane but his forehead furrowed as an obvious question came to mind.

"How'd you manage to leave without getting lost or someone finding you?" When Ryoga only mumbled something and looked at the sky, Ranma asked, "What was that?"

"Damn you, Ranma! I said I just tried my hardest to focus on finding the Tendo dojo and the next thing I knew I would find myself in Nagasaki or Sapporo! You happy now?" Ryoga shouted as a vein popped in his forehead.

He had gotten lost several times since the wedding and had often found himself in Nerima, which would have made him happy had he actually been looking for Ranma and Akane. But his directional curse seemed to want to keep him from his goal, both in avoiding a place or finding it. That is when he had what he thought was a stroke of genius. If he really wanted to try to find Akane, he would undoubtedly get lost. So he put an image of the beautiful blue- haired girl in his mind and focused as hard as he could and started walking and sure enough, it worked, he was out of town before he knew it.

Ranma suppressed his laughter. Just barely. He coughed to cover it up and then asked, "So, you need some help getting back?"

"Yeah, if you can get me to the train station, that'd be good," he said sheepishly.

"Sure man! I'll take you right now, don't want you running off while I'm in class. But since you're here, how about a spar? It's been a while since I've had a challenge." Ranma paused for a second before adding, "Not that you were ever really a challenge."

The last part was meant to goad Ryoga into a fight and Ranma was rewarded when his friend reacted predictably and lunged for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane had spent more time than she thought talking to her teacher with the result that her lunch period was half gone by the time she was done. She walked as quickly as she could to meet Ranma for lunch and began to run when she heard the tale-tell signs of a fight, which she could only assume included her fiancé. She ran up to see Ryoga and Ranma going at it and rolled her eyes. She could never understand why those two were always fighting. Sure they had a history with that ridiculous bread feud but there seemed to be more to it than that. She just could never figure out what it was.

But as she walked closer she noticed that the pair seemed to be having...fun. They were taunting each other but were laughing too. She smiled as she hoped that they had finally gotten over their differences. She found a familiar figure sitting on the grass near her and walked over to sit next to Taro, who she assumed was waiting for Nabiki.

"How long have they been at this?" Akane asked.

"I dunno, about ten minutes." Taro said. "It's not as fun as I thought it'd be. They seem to be taking it easy on each other."

"Well, I'm glad. They fight too much as it is."

Taro didn't respond and only rolled his eyes at Akane, she may be a martial artist but she was such a girl sometimes.

"I wonder what Ryoga's doing here? He probably got lost again," she added with some sympathy. She always felt bad for Ryoga, thinking he probably lead a very lonely life.

"I have no clue but...damn did you see that? Little piggy's been slacking off. You boyfriend could have really hurt him with that last punch."

"Not really."

Taro raised his eyebrow at the comment, surprised she would say something insulting about Ranma since she had been so defensive about him before. Seeing the look, Akane rolled her eyes when she understood how the comment could have been taken.

"What I mean is that Ryoga is tough. He went through the Bakusai Tenketsu training, where he literally got hit with boulders. It'll take a lot for him to be seriously hurt." She sat and watched as something Taro said finally processed in her mind. Looking over at Taro again, she asked, "What is it with you and Ranma? Why are you guys always calling him pig related nicknames?"

"I thought that much was obvious." When Akane just looked at him in confusion, he added slowly as if he were talking to a small child, "It's because of his curse." Taro, who was exceedingly proud of his alternate form laughed derisively at the thought. "It's got to be the weakest curse ever. Ranma turns into a girl but at least he can still fight. Shampoo turns into a cat but she has claws she can use to defend herself in that form. Even duck-boy has wings he can use to fly away from danger or I guess he could even peck his opponents to death. But how the hell does a small pot-bellied pig defend itself? I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been eaten by someone yet!" he shouted, laughing at the idea and not realizing how close he was to the truth. He went back to watching the fight amusedly and not noticing his companion stand up and leave.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pig-tailed boy was having fun. It really had been a long time since he was able to fight almost at full power. He didn't want to hurt Ryoga so he still had to pull back but he knew from experience that Ryoga was tough and could take a hit.

He had leapt into the air, aiming a kick at Ryoga when all of a sudden he was a soaking wet redhead. His opponent's body, no longer in the same place it was a moment ago, having shrunken over five feet, he overshot and stumbled on landing. The water caused him to slip and slide, crashing head first into a nearby wall and knocking him out.

Ranma blinked his eyes open a few moments later. The feeling of hot water over his head shook him out of his forced slumber. He sat up and noticed a naked Ryoga shaking his head next to him. Ranma looked up and saw Taro standing over them, an empty thermos in his hands.

"What the hell, Taro? Why'd you splash us in the middle of our fight?" Ranma shouted, putting a hand to his stinging head.

"Well, you're welcome, you ungrateful jackass! That's the last time I use my hot water to help you out!"

"It's the least you can do since you splashed us in the first place!"

"I didn't splash you! Akane did! Why the hell would I want to stop your lame ass fight?"

Ranma was about to respond in defense of his fight when he began to process what Taro said and his eyes widened. Akane had splashed him? He looked over at Ryoga and realized he was naked.

_No....no!_

That meant that she saw him, no _them_ transform. She knew. She finally found out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I know that the Ryoga/P-Chan issue has been done to death in other stories, so I hope you guys bear with me. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest obstacles that needs to be addressed in Ranma and Akane's relationship.

Big thank you to **alwaysZutarian** who did an amazing job reviewing the chapter and even came up with the arc title!

Original Publication Date: November 19, 2014

Revised: June 9, 2015


	17. Arc V: The Breaking Point; Chapter: Confrontations

**Arc V: The Breaking Point  
Chapter: Confrontations**

"Where'd she go?" Ranma asked somewhat panicked.

"I dunno, she just left," Taro responded with a shrug.

"Damn you, Ranma! What did you do to me?" Ryoga shouted as he looked over to see Ranma and Taro talking. He hated being ignored.

"Nothin', pork breath! Now shut the hell up!"

"Who you callin' pork breath?!"

"Well, I'll let you to get on with your little lover's quarrel, I got better things to do," Taro interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

He realized that the fighting wasn't going to continue and decided that he would try to catch up with Nabiki before lunch was over, but was stopped by Ranma.

"Wait! Why'd she splash us with water?" the pig-tailed boy asked.

He was trying to figure out what happened, Akane had rarely activated his curse unless he was doing something to provoke her and all he had been doing was fighting with Ryoga and she had seen them fight so often that it didn't bother her at all. He hadn't even known she had come to watch them.

"Who the hell are you talking about? Who splashed us?" Ryoga asked, irritated at not knowing what was going on. He was going to take that irritation out on whoever decided to activate his curse for no reason.

Taro sighed when he realized he should just start his explanation over or he would end up repeating himself. He could have just walked away but realized that they would just hound him until they got their answers. He knew from experience that they were both as stubborn as they were annoying.

"Akane. She sat down next to me, then suddenly splashed you with water and then took off. I don't know where she went," he said looking at Ranma, "and I have no idea why she decided to splash you."

Taro turned around to leave and noticed Ryoga sat there in shock, he visibly paled and his eyes became wide in fright.

"No! She couldn't have. She didn't know!" Ryoga shouted in shock, his voice turned angry as he added, "It was you! You told her, didn't you, Ranma?!" He jabbed his finger at the pig-tail boy in accusation.

Taro turned his attention back to the two boys, hoping that their fight was going to continue after all. Both martial artists had jumped to their feet, Ryoga holding his clothing in front of himself to try to hang onto what little dignity he had left.

"I didn't tell her! I have no idea how she found out!"

"It had to be you! You always hated the way she treated P-Chan!"

"I told ya, I didn't tell her!"

Listening to their conversation, Taro finally figured out what they were arguing about but was surprised when he realized that Akane didn't know about Ryoga's curse.

"I told her, you dumbasses!"

Two heads snapped towards him, both glaring at him with such anger he would have shivered in fear if he were a lesser man.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ranma screamed, getting in Taro's face. Here was a convenient target for his tumultuous emotions.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know she didn't know? Why the hell were you two keeping it a secret from her in the first place?" Taro demanded.

Ranma pulled back at that and blurted, "That doesn't matter!"

Frustrated, the pig-tailed boy ran his hand through his hair and started pacing. That was a lie. He knew it did matter, it would matter a lot to Akane.

"I gotta...I gotta find her," he muttered to himself.

He looked up to see Taro glaring at him, but he didn't have time to deal with him now. He really needed to find Akane and explain things to her. He would take Ryoga with him, they would explain everything to her and hope that she wouldn't be _too_ upset that they had lied to her. He turned around to tell the fanged boy the plan but he was gone.

"Where did he go?"

"How the hell should I know?" Taro growled out before turning away and stalking off. He wasn't a damn information booth! He got even more pissed off when he realized that lunch was over and he wouldn't be able to see Nabiki after all.

Ranma quickly realized that Ryoga must have gone after Akane and he swore to himself before he took off. He had to find her first. The pig-tailed boy had no idea what the directionally challenged idiot would say to Akane if he found her first, but Ranma guessed whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.

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When Taro told her about the curse, she couldn't believe it. But there was a part of her that told her that Taro was right, that he wouldn't lie about something like that. But she had to see for herself. So she grabbed a hose and splashed them both. When she first saw the transformation, her mind seemed to freeze, shocked at the information her eyes were showing her, while her brain still denied that such a thing was possible.

Before she realized it, she walked away from the scene and then she was running. With no destination in mind, she just ran and kept running. She needed to get away. Her body took her automatically to the park, a place where she felt safe. She collapsed on a bench under her favorite tree. Her breathing was ragged, more from her emotional turmoil than from her frantic run. She tried to ignore the dull pain in her chest as she went over and over what she just learned.

Ryoga was P-chan.

P-Chan was Ryoga.

As much as those two phrases ran through her head, she couldn't get her mind around it.

At first she thought there was some mistake. There had to be. Even though she saw the transformation with her own two eyes, she tried to reason it away. Maybe, just maybe she had seen it wrong. She could've missed seeing Ryoga land somewhere else and P-Chan just happened to be there.

However, she knew immediately that she was wrong. She had seen the Jusenkyo transformations too often to not recognize one when she saw it. Besides, Taro had told her about the curse and he was a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of them.

But, maybe his curse was a new one that just happened to be pig related! Ryoga got lost a lot and it was plausible that if he happened to be in China since the last time she saw him, and he ended up in Jusenkyo, he could have fallen into one of the ponds. That could have easily happened.

Yes, that must have been it!

Except...

Except for the bandana. Both Ryoga and P-Chan had the same yellow and black bandana. How had she not recognized it before? She had seen it on her pet often enough but it just never clicked for her. She just couldn't understand it. Why had she not questioned why P-Chan always had that bandana on? How could she not have seen it looked exactly like Ryoga's?

But why would she have ever put it together when she had seen Ryoga get wet before!

She remembered clearly seeing Ryoga in her backyard pond with Ranma while the latter was in his girl form. But memories of Ranma continually and frustratingly splashing Ryoga during the incident came back to her, along with the memories of what had come after. They had all been at the water park and she had gone on that "date" with Ryoga. The entire time Ranma and Shampoo had been after the waterproof soap. At the time she was just relieved to have escaped Ryoga's rather enthusiastic hugs that she didn't think twice about the fact that he just disappeared. She never wondered why he had the waterproof soap. She just assumed he got lost...and then P-chan had shown up shortly after.

P-Chan did that a lot. Show up in random places, places he shouldn't have been able to get to. How did a little black piglet end up in the forests of Ryugenzawa? How did a defenseless pig survive in a place with animals the size of monsters? How did he show up in another forest when she was possessed by the doll spirit? Pigs were smart, everyone knew that. But even as smart as pigs were, how did he know she needed help in that doll form? How did he always seem to know how she felt when she talked to him? Sometimes she had felt that her little P-Chan could feel and think like a human, now she finally realized how right she had been.

It was then that she accepted the heartbreaking truth.

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He had to find her. He needed to explain. He needed to apologize.

He never wanted something like this to happen but it had always been a possibility. He had been lucky so far that his curse had never been revealed to her. There were so many times it could have happened accidentally but it didn't, and every time he narrowly escaped detection, he had been thankful. He foolishly thought that he could find a cure and the secret would forever be buried.

He hadn't meant to deceive her in the first place. Originally he had only stayed with her because it annoyed Ranma. He loved to see the pig-tailed boy get jealous when Akane showered her "pet" with attention. Then things changed when she started to show him affection.

She played with him. She hugged him. She confided in him. She protected him.

She was the first person in a very long time to care for him. Sure she thought he was her pet the whole time but he didn't care. It just felt so good to have someone love him.

And in return he loved her. How could he not when he knew what a good person she was? He could all but see the goodness in her and there were times he swore he saw her halo. Even when he was in his human form she treated him well. She still defended him, still tried to protect him. He ignored the thought that she only did it because she thought he was weaker than Ranma.

Ranma who never saw how wonderful she was. Ranma who never appreciated her. Ranma who had no clue as to how lucky he was to have her as a fiancée. If she were his, he would treat her right. He wouldn't two time on her. He wouldn't insult her. He would protect her. He would tell her how beautiful she was. He would treat her like the angel he knew she was.

He chased those thoughts away, or tried to as best he could. Since the failed wedding, he had tried to give her up, but she was like an addiction that was hard to break and he occasionally had lapses where she was all he could think of.

He had Akari now and she was wonderfully sweet, beautiful, and kind. Best of all, she knew about his curse and actually liked it. But Akane would always be his first love. Even if he had finally given up on her, she would always have a special place in his heart.

With his mind whirling he had gotten lost, not that he knew where he was going. Ryoga focusing on his task would not have made a difference. He cursed as he ran into the park. He slowed down and prayed he had not accidentally left the city.

Turning to his left, he caught a glimpse of a figure he would recognize anywhere. Somehow, even with his curse, he had found Akane. He stopped and closed his eyes, for once grateful for the curse that took him away from his goal, the Tendo home.

He opened his eyes and gave himself a moment to just take her in. It had been so long since he had seen her and he realized how much he missed the sight. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

So, enraptured by the sight of her, it took him a moment to realize that she looked...confused and sad. Her shoulders were slumped, her head was angled down, her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. It was then that he remembered why he was chasing her. When he realized that look on her face was caused by him. He swallowed hard.

He approached her slowly, and when he was a few feet away, he said tentatively, "Akane?"

She whipped her head up and he was pinned by the look in her eyes.

As P-Chan, he had been her confidant and thus knew her moods and her facial expressions. He had never seen her face so full of pain and betrayal before and he felt his heart ache.

A moment later her eyes turned hard and she spoke to him in a tone he'd never heard from her before.

"Hello, _P-Chan_ ," she said, growling out the last part.

He cringed at the tone in her voice.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Akane. It's not...it's not what it looks like."

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "It's not? You haven't been pretending to be my pet? You haven't been lying to me ever since you met me?"

"No...yes...It didn't mean..." he stammered before he threw his arms up and finally yelled in frustration, "It was all Ranma's fault!"

The comment made her wince. Ranma knew. Of course he knew. She had just come to the conclusion when Ryoga found her. And now, it felt like the pig was throwing it in her face. She pushed aside the pain. She would deal with it and Ranma later, but for now, she had to deal with Ryoga.

"And how was it his fault?"

"When he failed to show up for our fight, I went in search of him and I followed him all the way to China. I was standing on a ledge looking around when suddenly a panda and a redheaded girl came by and knocked me off the cliff! I fell into one of the pools and came out as a pig! You wouldn't believe how many times I've almost been eaten because of this damn curse! It was his fault I was in China in the first place, then I found out that he was the one who actually knocked me off that cliff! None of this would have happened if he just showed up for that damn fight!"

_That explains so much_ , Akane thought.

When Ryoga had shown up in Nerima he was very mad at Ranma but his anger always seemed bigger than anything that could have come from a bread feud, but she never knew what it was. Now it made sense.

"When did you find out that it was Ranma that knocked you off the cliff?"

"That first night I came to your house. I was trying to fight Ranma and got hit by a dumbbell and was turned into...somehow I ended up in your house and when you told Ranma to..." Ryoga cleared his throat, "to give me a bath, I got changed back. He told me while we were in the bathroom."

Akane closed her eyes as her heart thumped painfully in her chest at his words. Ranma had known since the very first moment that she decided to keep P-Chan as a pet and had kept it a secret the entire time.

Why? Why did he keep this a secret from her?!

"I only went with you because it seemed to make Ranma mad! I didn't go into your house trying to be your pet, honest."

"But you decided to pretend to be my pet to piss Ranma off?" she spat at him.

"NO! No! It wasn't like that. You were just so...good to me. You just cared about me so much. I fell in love with you."

Akane's eyes widened in surprise.

Love? Ryoga loved her? Ryoga was in love with her? How had she not known? She had thought that _maybe_ he had a crush on her, but love?

Feeling embarrassed at his admission, Ryoga continued quickly, "And Ranma knew how I felt! He used it to taunt me during our fights! He knew and he would call me P-Chan in front of you, just to distract me!"

All the new information whirling in her head just lead to more questions. But there was one question that repeated itself more than the others.

"Why didn't Ranma tell me about your curse?"

"I...I don't know why. I don't know why he helped me hide the truth from you. Maybe so he could continue to taunt me with the information. He knew I couldn't stand the possibility that he would tell you. Ranma would use any advantage he could get in a fight!"

The memory of Ranma catching Ryoga right before he fell into a fountain then him teasing the pig boy flashed into her mind. Akane felt another stab of pain in her chest. Not only had Ranma known about the secret from the beginning - and didn't tell her - but he actively helped Ryoga keep the secret.

He had purposefully deceived her for years.

But other memories came to her. Of her beloved pig biting Ranma. At the time she had thought Ranma must have had been taunting her pet but now she wondered if Ryoga had bit her fiancé on purpose to annoy him.

Targeting her anger at the boy in front of her, she asked, "And you never used your curse to bait him? You never picked a fight with him as P-Chan to get him into trouble?"

"No!" When her eyes narrowed in anger, he amended his answer. "Maybe?" he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I never told you about the curse. But I was afraid. I thought you would laugh at me and I...cared about you too much. "

Akane scoffed and said skeptically, "You cared about me."

"Yes! I tried my best to be there for you. To protect you, even when I was in my other form!"

She laughed humorlessly.

"Protect me? Protect me from what?"

"From Ranma! He always mistreated you! Always teased you! He was always running around with the other girls! He was leading you all on!"

"This isn't about him! This is about you! What you did! It's you I should have been protected from! You, who used your status as my pet to get closer to me. To sneak into my bed!" She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "Tell me, did it feel good snuggled up against me? Did you like it when I held you against my chest? Did you get off on it?" she asked sneeringly.

"No, it wasn't like that. I mean yes it felt good but not in the way you think. I just liked the affection."

When Akane only continued to stare at him, he began to sweat. He really wanted to believe that what he said was true. In his mind he was the good guy, the hero. But while he may have occasionally had a pig's body, his mind was one hundred percent teenage male. And Akane, Akane was to him, perfection.

How could he not have enjoyed being pressed against her full, firm breasts? Or snuggled up with her under her blankets, surrounded by her wonderful sweet scent? Or the feel of her lips pressed against his head?

He then admitted to himself what he had long tried to deny. Just the memory alone made him feel hot, causing his face to turn red.

Which only caused Akane to narrow her eyes at him.

"For some reason, I don't believe you."

Ryoga just looked at her with pained eyes, unable to defend himself.

"You know what the worst part of this whole thing is? I thought you were my friend. I trusted you. I knew that you and Ranma didn't get along and I defended you."

Akane closed her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. She would not embarrass herself by crying. She would not.

"Akane, I don't know what else I can say. I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, it doesn't matter what you planned because you did hurt me." Akane took a deep breath and looked Ryoga straight in the eyes, "I don't forgive you and I never want to see you again."

The blue-haired girl watched as his head dropped to the ground, his shoulders hunched and his aura turned black. She knew that intentionally or not, Ryoga was about to perform the Shishi Hokodan. She had no idea how bad this would be, but if he did love her like he claimed, it could cause a lot of damage.

She walked in front of him and quickly grabbed his forearm with both hands before she pivoted so she was standing in front of him and threw him over her shoulder, sending him flying into the pond. She walked to the edge of the pond, crouched down and waited. P-Chan popped up, his little legs moving wildly as he tried to swim back towards the edge of the pond, the sounds of his squeals mixed with the water splashing around him. She reached down and plucked him out by his bandana and brought him to eye level.

She took a good look at her "pet." The round squishable body that had comforted her. The little ears that had listened to her problems. The back of the neck she liked to scratch because it made him squeal in delight. And the eyes. The eyes that always seemed so understanding. But now she recognized as too human.

Unable to look at the little pig any longer, she took a step back and wound her arm around in a large circle, letting the pig go at the apex of her swing. She watched as Ryoga flew away and disappeared into nothing more than a dot in the horizon.

It was then that she said goodbye to her P-Chan. Goodbye to her faithful pet and confidant. She reached up to wipe away the single tear that slipped past her guard.

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Ranma was running around Nerima, agitated. He had not yet found his fiancée whom he had been looking for since he left school. He had gone home, then to the park, then to school, and at this point he had no idea where he was going, he just knew he had to move. He was more frustrated in not finding Akane than he was worried about how she felt.

_Where the hell is she?_ he thought with a growl. He stopped. He just wanted to find her, was that too much to ask for? But running around aimlessly was not going to help him. He ran his hands over his face as he realized he had no idea where to look next. Waiting was never his strong suit, especially when it came to Akane and he had to do something.

He would find her and explain and apologize. She would probably hit him and yell at him for a little while. He winced at the thought; it was not something he was looking forward to. But Ranma Saotome faced his problems head on. Even if it was an angry fiancée who could twist his body into a pretzel.

Once she let out some of her frustrations, she would probably still be upset but she would forgive him. It was one of those things he had learned over the years, Akane was quick to temper, quick to forgive. So it was best to find her and get it over with, kind of like ripping a band-aid off quickly. It would hurt but then it would be over.

He decided to head back home, hoping that she would be there. When he entered the grounds he heard a familiar sound of bricks being pulverized from the dojo. He sighed in relief at finally finding Akane and tensed at the same time, knowing that she only broke bricks when she was really upset. He peeked into the open screen doors and found her setting up another stack of cinder blocks and could not fail to notice the destroyed pile surrounding her. He watched her silently, not knowing how to approach her.

"I know you're there, Ranma," she said, her back still towards him.

She had been sad, incredibly sad after her confrontation with Ryoga. But her sadness had lasted only a short while before the anger pushed through. But she was okay with it as anger was a much more familiar emotion for her. So she clung to it while she could, knowing the sadness would come back soon and she would have to deal with it, whether she was ready for it or not.

Along with the anger was the overwhelming need to hit something. Anything. So she headed home, jumped through her bedroom window, bypassing her family that she was not yet ready to deal with. She had changed quickly, jumped back out, and headed straight to the dojo. She knew she would not be bothered there as Ranma was the only other person in the house who used the dojo regularly.

She had only gone through a few stacks of cinder blocks when she felt like she was being watched. Over the last week, she had become so used to Ranma that she could sense him without the need to turn around. She settled herself before speaking and finally turned around and looked at him.

He was just standing there awkwardly, looking at her. He looked pained and uncomfortable and an ugly part of her was glad for it. It may have been small of her but for once she didn't care.

It was taking everything Akane had to remain calm. After the incident with Nabiki lying to her about Ranma and his date with Ukyo, she had promised herself that she would always hear Ranma out. That she would give him a chance to explain himself before she jumped to conclusions about him. And there were plenty of thoughts running through her head.

Ranma waited, expecting an outburst and her anger but was only greeted by a steely stare. He looked into her eyes and couldn't read them. They had none of the warmth in them that he had gotten used to in the last week. It unnerved him so much that he didn't notice how tightly her jaw was clenched or how her raw knuckles had become white from the way she clenched her hands. He cleared his throat, hoping that would help him find his voice.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"I'm sorry you found out like that."

"How should I have found out?"

"I-I should have told you myself. But you gotta understand, I had a reason!"

Akane just looked at him, waiting for him to continue. She was clenching her teeth together so tightly her jaw was beginning to hurt but she was determined to hear him out. She wanted, no _needed_ to know all of it.

When his fiancée just looked at him unflinchingly, Ranma began to sweat. He really didn't know what to make of Akane. Why was she so calm? Why was she just standing there? He realized that he couldn't dwell on it because she was still waiting for him to answer.

"It was my fault that Ryoga got cursed. Do you remember that night he came to fight me? I realized then that he must have a Jusenkyo curse and when I found the neighbor's dog, I thought it was Ryoga. I made him a promise then to keep his secret. Even though I made the promise to the dog, I meant it and I planned to keep it. When you asked me to give the little pig you found a bath, I discovered the pig was Ryoga. He told me then that it was a red-headed girl chasing a panda that sent him over the cliff...the guilt I felt in having a part in his curse...well, I couldn't break the promise then, could I?"

"I remember that night, I remember it clearly." She didn't say that she remembered all the times they spent together because she thought about them so often afterwards. "When I told you I was going to keep Ryoga as a pet, you got really jealous. I didn't understand it then..."

She trailed off as her thoughts jumbled. She always thought it was important to keep your word and she liked that Ranma always tried to keep his. He was so unlike his father in that way and she respected him for it. She did. A person's word should mean something.

"I understand you wanted to keep your promise. But if your promise was that you wouldn't tell his secret, why did you help him hide it from me?"

"What? I don't know what you mean."

Her eyes narrowed as she said angrily, "Oh, I think you do. There were times when Ryoga could or would have fallen into water in front of me but you helped him. You _helped_ him! Why?"

"I..."

Akane closed her eyes and shook her head when it became apparent he had no answer. Or at least no answer he was willing to give her.

"Who else knew?"

"What?"

"Who else knew about Ryoga's curse?" she ground out.

"All of the people with Jusenkyo curses know about each other. So, Mousse, Taro..."

"Did Shampoo know?" she demanded.

Confused as to why it mattered, he said, "Yeah she knew. So did Cologne."

"Shampoo knew," she stated tonelessly.

Akane let out a humorless laugh and started to pace as her mind raced as the implications came to her. There was so much that seemed obvious now that she knew truth. She started speaking, talking more to herself than to him.

"I always thought that it was her, that she was so obsessed in her focus on you and fulfilling that stupid kiss of marriage. After that incident with the jewel I couldn't blame her for clinging to the idea that you would pick her. Not with the way you chased after her. But it was more than that.

"I don't think she ever saw me as a real threat or thought that you were ever interested me as more than an obligation. Because if you really cared for me, if you really lo…wanted _me_ , then you wouldn't have kept Ryoga's curse a secret. If you cared, you wouldn't have allowed him to use me like that."

Ranma stared at her, shocked. He had never considered the possibility that his lack of action could have been taken as a lack of caring. He actually never knew why Shampoo or Cologne hadn't busted him about keeping Ryoga's curse a secret. He was just grateful that they had.

"Did Ukyo know?"

"Ukyo? I..." He stopped as he really had to think about it. He had not told her about the secret but that didn't mean she didn't learn about it from someone else. "No, I don't think so."

Akane turned her back towards him. That simple act made him feel completely shut out. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What was there to say to her about that? But he had to say something. He felt like he was losing her. He had to do something, say something to get her to understand his feelings.

"'Kane, I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry! You gotta know how I feel about you. You gotta know that I...that I...lo..."

She whipped her head up, her eyes popped open, as she turned on him. "Stop! Just stop before you say anything more."

Ranma flinched at the tone and stared, stunned. He was finally going to tell her how he felt and she didn't want to hear it. No, that couldn't be right. Maybe, she just didn't understand what he was going to say. He needed her to understand. He reached out to grab her hand and was surprised when she pulled back from him, putting both her hands up in front of her in a motion to keep him away from her.

His eyebrows furrowed as he was overtaken by confusion and pain. He had grown so used to being able to touch her over the past week. Whether it be to kiss her, to give her a hug, or simply to hold her hand. It was surprising how quickly he got used to being able to simply reach out and touch her. The simple intimacy of the contact between them meant so much to him.

And now she rejected it. Rejected _him_.

"I need...need to think."

Without another word she walked out of the dojo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the family gathered for dinner, it was obvious to everyone that there was something wrong between Ranma and Akane. They had so far enjoyed a week free of fights, emotional outbursts, and chaos. It had been a lovely week but they all knew it was too good to last.

Soun sighed heavily to himself. He had thought that finally the pair seemed to come to some sort of understanding. Even though they had not made any announcements to the family about a change in their relationship, it had been quite obvious to him that something had changed between them. He hoped that despite their unwillingness to get married, they had finally accepted their engagement, that they would finally stop fighting it.

The tension emanating from the pair was worrisome to Nodoka, who had enjoyed the subtle byplay between them over the past week. She hadn't missed the glances they gave each other when they thought no one was looking. Or the small smiles those looks caused that they couldn't quite hide. Just like she couldn't miss the stiff postures as they sat next to each other now. The way Akane had barely taken a bite of her food or the worried glances Ranma kept sending her way.

Although she was a relative new comer to the dynamics at the table, Nodoka knew that the rest of the family had kept quiet because they were not sure how to handle the loud silence coming from the pair. She didn't think anyone wanted to wind up as collateral damage due to speaking out and inadvertently hitting a sore spot, since no one knew what the fight was about, and there was no doubt there had been an argument between them. But the silence and tension was beginning to feel oppressive, so she cleared her throat and tried to engage them in conversation.

"Ranma, how was your day today?"

"Umm, it was...umm. Fine."

She was discouraged when her son had barely raised his head to answer her question and had looked right back down to his bowl. Disappointed but undaunted, she tried a different approach.

"Akane, how was school today?"

The blue-haired girl looked up at the sound of her name and shook her head a little as she tried to clear her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Auntie, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"How was school today, dear?"

"School? Oh, it was fine."

Akane gave Nodoka a small smile. Beside her, she felt Ranma stiffen.

"I got my history test back, and I got an A. We learned a new equation in math, which was kind of hard, but I think I got it down. We played softball again in PE and my team won."

She looked around the table and then added in a casual voice like she just remembered, "Oh, and I found out that Ryoga has a Jusenkyo curse which turns him into a black piglet, which I had unknowingly adopted and kept as my pet pig P-Chan for almost two years."

She was suddenly surrounded by complete silence, as even Genma had stopped eating. She looked around the table and saw shocked looks on Nodoka, Kasumi, and Nabiki's faces. She felt a moment of relief that Nabiki seemed honestly surprised at the information. She had wondered if any of the family had known the secret and she was dreading the idea that her middle sister had known. It wouldn't have surprised her to learn that Nabiki could have kept the secret from her. But since their blow out a few weeks ago, they had gotten closer and she didn't want to think that her sister would keep the secret from her now.

She looked towards her father and the little relief she felt over Nabiki was completely lost when she saw the guilty look on his face. Her stomach dropped when she saw him share a look with Genma. She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath.

Akane knew that Mr. Saotome had known about the curse, Ranma had told her as much. She wasn't surprised that the Saotome patriarch would have kept the secret from her because his morals were loose and his main goal had always been to unite the schools. A goal he shared with her father. The two best friends were as thick as thieves, an apropos analogy as they had stolen together in the past. They had plotted and planned to get their children married and she began to wonder if her father had also known about the curse. She had thought it impossible that he would treat her like that, that he could be so cruel to his own daughter. But now she knew she was wrong.

"Oh, daddy. You knew, didn't you?" she asked in a small voice.

The shock left Kasumi and Nabiki's faces as they turned to their father. Kasumi's face showed sadness and then disappointment as she said, "Oh, father. How could you?"

Next to her, Nabiki looked furious. "You knew that P-Chan was Ryoga the whole time and you didn't tell us? Akane kept him in her room. She slept with him in her bed! How could you let that happen?"

"I...I didn't...I mean, the boy didn't do any harm! He was in his pig's form for heaven's sake. There was no way he was going to take advantage of her in that form!"

Nabiki stared at him incredulously and said, "You _can't_ be serious. He was in her room all the time. He could have been there while she was changing! Watching her! That PIG could have followed her into the bath! He didn't need to touch her to violate her!" Her eyes were blazing and her chest heaving by the end of her tirade.

How could her father be so stupid?

Soun flinched slightly at the tone and the accusation. But he paled when he thought about what she had said. He hadn't ever thought about it in that way.

"Father, why did you keep it a secret from her?" Kasumi asked in her quiet way, her eyebrows furrowed in distress.

"Well...the boy, I mean the pig, just walked in on me while I was soaking in the furo and jumped in. I was shocked when Ryoga popped up suddenly and just walked out of the bath! I didn't know what to do."

Soun lit a cigarette with a shaky hand as he continued his explanation. He completely missed Genma was trying to signal him with his eyes. He took a deep puff and exhaled a stream of smoke before continuing.

"After my soak, I talked it over with Saotome and we both thought that we should keep the information to ourselves as it seemed to make Ranma jealous when P-Chan was..."

Soun trailed off as he realized that he was being glared at by Nabiki and Kasumi.

Kasumi of all people!

He looked over and realized that Nodoka was giving Genma a rather dangerous look. He gulped as he slumped his shoulders at the looks coming from his two eldest daughters.

"Father, how could you?" Kasumi asked again, disappointment dripping from her tone.

He risked a glance towards Akane and what he saw her in her eyes caused his heart to break. She looked so hurt. So disappointed.

"Akane..."

She turned her head away from him, got up and walked out of the room without another word.

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**A/N:** I know that this chapter doesn't address all the issues between Ranma and Akane, but rarely in life does everything that needs to be said gets out during the first confrontation. Their feelings and thoughts will be addressed in the next chapter, so hang in there.

Ryoga will be out of the story for now. I know that he is a fan favorite but I don’t find him particularly likeable and I find it difficult to get into his head. As mentioned when I got rid of Shampoo, I will be giving the rivals attention based on how much a threat they are to the R&A relationship. Ryoga was never a threat because Akane was never interested in him. His secret and the keeping of the secret was the only real threat to their relationship. Ranma’s jealousy over Ryoga was much of his own doing.

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews! When I started this story I didn't know if people would like it at all, but to get over 300 reviews is more than I could have hoped for. Shout out to **kinkgodl64** (who I think is actually **linkgold64** ) for being my 300th review!

Big props to **alwaysZutarian** for her awesome betaing skills! Her suggestions made this chapter so much better!

Original Publication Date: January 19, 2015

Revised: June 9, 2015


	18. Arc V: The Breaking Point, Chapter: Resolve

Akane walked as calmly as possible to her room. She resisted - barely - the urge to slam her door. As it was, her entire body was vibrating with...well, everything. She had so many thoughts and feelings running through her at the same time that it was hard for her to keep everything straight. Her mind kept leaping from one thing to another, from one person to another. From Ryoga, to Ranma, to her father, and back again.

She sat on the edge of her bed and grabbed her pillow, clutching it length wise as she brought her face to rest on the top of it. She felt so stupid that she had not seen the truth!

Ryoga. Ryoga was her friend. She trusted him. Besides Ranma, he was one of the first males she had been able to trust since the entire fiasco with Kuno and the hentai horde began. Sure he was hot tempered and volatile, but so were most of the martial artists she knew. Herself included.

Underneath it all, she thought he was an honorable person. Someone who had helped her through some tough times. Someone who was there for her when Ranma wasn't. Someone whom she could depend on.

But that had all been because he had a crush on her. That he thought he had loved her. She scoffed at the idea. He obviously didn't love her or he wouldn't have treated her the way he had.

She should have known, should have figured out that he liked her. Had even an inkling that he had feelings for her, right? But she had no clue! How was she that oblivious?

The problem was there were very few guys that had ever really shown any interest in her. Sure there was Kuno and the entire hoard of boys who used to attack her every morning. But she knew that they saw her as more of a challenge than anything else. They liked the idea of having her, the idea of _winning_ her, but they didn't know her at all. They had no idea what she was really like. What she thought or felt. And they didn't care. If they did, they never would have attacked her in the first place.

All that mattered to them was what they thought she was. So they treated her like a challenge. Literally. If one of those morons had actually beat her one day, she was sure they would enjoy the win. Enjoy lording it over their classmates. But they wouldn't really want to be with her.

She had never had a boy show actual interest in her as a person, so how was she supposed to know when someone finally did? 

Looking back she could see the signs. The nervousness in the way Ryoga would talk to her, his shyness. But she thought that was just how he acted with all the girls. He seemed harmless.

Who would have thought that the entire time he was a shy stuttering mess in his human form, he was using his pig form to sneak into her bed?

Nabiki's comments at dinner had thrown her. She had been so shocked and hurt about finding out that Ryoga was P-Chan, she hadn't thought everything through.

Had he snuck into her room to watch her change? Or the furo to watch her bathe? She became nauseous at the thought. She wouldn't have given a second thought of walking around completely naked in front of P-Chan.

_After all_ , she thought bitterly, _he was just her pet_. 

Suddenly it hit her that he could have also taken advantage of her sisters. He could have easily wandered into Nabiki's room to watch her. Kasumi could have easily found him in the street and carried him home pressed against her chest. He could have been taking advantage of them the entire time! And she was the one who had brought him into their home. She insisted he stay.

She could feel the pressure building behind her eyes as the tears began to form. She closed her eyes as the guilt swamped her. If he took advantage of them, it was _her_ fault.

But she didn't want to cry. She was afraid that if she started crying she would never stop. She tried to push away the sadness by focusing on her anger. And she had so much to be angry about.

She had told Ryoga things as P-Chan. She had shared her secrets with him, her thoughts, her feelings. She told him about wanting to be the one who inherited the dojo. How she thought she could carry on the Tendo School. She had told him about how she felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole when it came to her family. About how much she missed her mother. She had told him things as her pet that she never would have admitted to another person.

Akane trembled as she realized how deeply he betrayed her. She had never felt so violated in her life. Invading her thoughts and her feelings was so much worse than him using the curse to just feel her up.

And her father knew about it! He was complacent in allowing it to happen! Not only allowed it but had wanted it to make Ranma jealous in the hopes that it would bring them closer together.

How could he? How could he do that to her? His own daughter.

But the answer was obvious; he didn't really care. Oh, he loved her and her sisters. He would, in his way, do anything for them. But his love was abstract. He didn't really know them or care about them as individuals. He was old fashioned and only cared that they married well. The only thing that seemed to matter more to him was the joining of the two branches of The Anything Goes Schools of Martial Arts.

That was made abundantly clear during the entire fiasco where Nabiki was shortly engaged to Ranma. Hadn't he shown then that it didn't matter who married Ranma as long as one of them did? He didn't even care how much the situation had hurt her. He said nothing while her middle sister had made her miserable, had taunted her. He only started to care when he thought Nabiki would sell his precious dojo. But to go to these lengths...?

He was her father. Fathers were supposed to protect their children. Weren't they? They weren't supposed to offer them up to fulfill some promise or to get a free meal.

But when she found out her father knew about Ryoga's secret, she really hadn't been surprised. Disappointed but not really surprised. She didn't know if that made her feel better or worse.

She shook her head and brought the palms of her hands to her forehead. She didn't want to think about her father anymore. It hurt too much. Her chest began to throb and tears streamed down her face.

She wiped them away viciously and tried to think of something else but her mind landed where it had been going all day, to Ranma. She could accept his desire to keep Ryoga's curse a secret after making a promise. She didn't like it but could accept it. It was everything else that made her heart hurt.

Like Ryoga, it was obvious that Ranma had never intended to tell her the truth. He would have continued to lie to her for the rest of her life! That she couldn't accept.

Did he have to help Ryoga hide the secret from her on top of everything else?

Odd things that never made sense had become clear today. She had always thought Ranma was a pervert for sneaking into her room that night she adopted P-Chan, but now she understood that he was trying to get P-Chan out of her room. That incident had led her to believe he was perverted, that he was like all the boys in her school, trying to force himself on her. That single moment had led her to mistrust him for so long. That single moment had caused such a large rift between them. It took her so long to get over that misconception of him, to start trusting him a little. And it could have all been avoided if he had only told her the truth after she found him in her room with that...water kettle!

Her eyes bolted open as she remembered that last bit of information. He was in his male form that night so he wouldn't have needed the kettle. She had been so upset that he was lying on top of her while she slept, she had completely forgotten about it! If only she had thought about it a little more, maybe she would have realized things sooner.

But how would she have linked the water kettle with her pig?

He had tried to protect her from Ryoga, hadn't he? He tried to get him out of her room? He kept trying to get rid of P-Chan every time he showed up. But was that because he was trying to protect her or because he was jealous? And all the while, he could have stopped it all if he had just found a way to let her know! That single lie had caused so many problems!

_Damn! It was just all so confusing!_

She knew that she had part in making the situation worse. A part of her had been secretly amused about his jealously over something as silly and trivial as her pet. She had been flattered that Ranma was so easily jealous. She hadn't purposefully tried to spark that jealousy, not really.

Okay, maybe his behavior had caused her to be extra affectionate to P-Chan, which made her fiancé more jealous, which she enjoyed. You couldn't really blame her, could you? It wasn't really her fault, was it?

She chewed her bottom lip as she began to feel guilty.

_No!_

It wasn't her fault. Ranma had always gotten jealous over silly things all the time so why would she have thought it was unusual that he was jealous of her pet. His jealousy was the one thing that had been reassuring to her. It was a sign that he cared. Or she thought it was.

Just like his need to protect her, to come to her rescue had made her feel special. She didn't know when it happened but she had begun to rely on him to protect her. Not that she needed the protection - other than against the occasional super strong baddie or mythological beast - but it had felt nice that he would be there for her. That he was always racing to save her.

Although, she knew that he would do that for any of the girls in his life because she had been there when he tried to save both Shampoo and Ukyo on different occasions. But even during the drama with Ukyo, he had chosen to catch her and not the okonomiyaki chef during their fall. That meant something, didn't it?

So it hurt even more thinking that this time he allowed her to be violated. That he let it go on for years. Did that mean that he really didn't care?

She thought over the last week. Over how close they had gotten and how much they shared with each other, of all the times they talked while on the roof. He could have told her then. Or any of the other times they were alone. She understood that he was afraid that she would be angry, because she would have been. But it would have been easier...no, not easier. It would have been better if she had learned the truth from him. 

To have Taro talk about the curse as it were so obvious made her really question her intelligence. So many people knew about the curse and kept it a secret from her. They were probably laughing at her behind her back. She thought for certain that Shampoo had and that thought made her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

_I'm so stupid!_

How many people had laughed at her expense? Had Ranma? How could she trust him after this? 

Her stomach churned as another thought popped into her head.

What else was he hiding from her?

Her throat constricted as she tried to swallow but couldn't. She shook her head from side to side trying to shake the thought from her mind but her eyes began to well with tears. It was getting too hard for her to keep it in. 

Ranma, she thought and sighed. An image of the pigtail boy popped into her mind. He had his arms crossed, a cocky grin - that she secretly loved - on his face and she was floored as emotions swamped her. Despite everything, she still loved him. She didn't think that she could ever stop loving him.

At that moment, she wished she could.

Was it possible to find the love of your life at sixteen? She didn't think she would ever love anyone as much as she did Ranma. She felt so much for him and it didn't seem possible that she could feel more for anyone else. She thought he may have loved her back. But with all this knew information she doubted that he even cared for her.

She shook her head as she realized that that was unfair. He did care for her. She was sure he was about to tell her how he felt about her, that he lo...

She pushed the though away, unable to deal with it. The question now was, how do they move forward? Could they, if she couldn't trust him? She had no clue.

Even knowing that he was the one to cause her current misery, all she wanted to do was to go to him. She wanted to have him wrap his strong arms around her. She wanted to find comfort in his embrace. To have him stroke her back soothingly. To lean her head on his shoulder as he held her close to him. To have him tell her that everything would be okay.

To just be with him.

She felt her eyes water at the thought. She felt pathetic for needing the one person that hurt her so much. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smoothed down her hair at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Akane, can I come in?" Nodoka asked from behind the door.

Clearing her throat and putting a stiff smile on her face, she said, "Yes, come on in."

When she entered the room, Nodoka found Akane sitting on her bed. The look on the young girl's face broke her heart. It was obvious she was putting on a brave face but the Saotome matriarch could see the sadness in her eyes behind the strained smile.

Saying nothing, Nodoka closed the door softly behind her and sat next to Akane. She put her arm around the girl's shoulders and brought her close to her side. The older woman rested her cheek on top of the blue-haired girl's head and said nothing.

It had been a long time since she had a mother's comfort but it didn't mean she didn't recognize what was being offered her. She wondered if this was what it would have felt like if it was her own mother who was holding her. If her mother was alive, would she have gone along with the forced engagement or would she have objected? Would she have allowed her father to keep the secret from her?

No. If her mother had still been alive, she would have never let things get this bad. Her mother would have supported her. Her mother would have been the only person who understood her. She just missed her mother so much.

Akane closed her eyes, as she tried to fight back the tears but it was futile. Nodoka's simple gesture of understanding, the simple offer of comfort had broken down the walls she had used to keep her emotions at bay all day.

The anger she felt at being lied to. The stupidity at not seeing what was now so obvious. The guilt that she had unwittingly made things worse. The sheer pain she felt at being betrayed by so many people.

It suddenly hurt so much. Her chest ached with the agony. Her throat felt so thick and tight from trying to keep her tears in that it became hard to breath. Her eyes stung as the tears formed. Her entire body began to tremble.

No longer able to hold back the onslaught of emotions that swamped her, she curled into the older woman next to her, put her hands over face, as she broke down in tears.

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After having suffered through a very silent, but mercifully short dinner, Ranma had to endure his mother's grilling of both him and his father. She had been shocked to learn that the two had allowed that "strange boy" to take advantage of Akane.

She made it clear that she was disappointed in both of them. She went on to tell Ranma that she didn't think it was manly of him to have allowed another man to sleep with his fiancée. When both men began to sputter in their defense, she fingered her katana and the martial artists froze in fear. Luckily for them, she had much more to say about honor and respect. Midway through her rant, she had put the honor blade down and the men let out a big sigh of relief. 

When she finally finished, she gave them the coldest look Ranma had ever seen on her face and walked out of their guest room. Unsure of where she was going, the pigtailed boy thought it best to wait in his room for a few moments before leaving himself.

He wanted so badly to find some way to make it up to Akane. To make her understand that he didn't intentionally hurt her, but he didn't know how. He did know that he wanted to see her but knew she would refuse to see him. So, using his Umi-Sen Ken, he snuck into her room, so he could check on her. Just to see if she was okay.

He was surprised to see his mother was in her room. But what really shocked him was Akane. He had never seen her look so broken. Her eyes were puffy and red as big fat tears fell down her cheeks. Her face was flushed and splotchy, her nose runny. She looked horrible and it was his fault.

He wanted desperately to reach out and run his hand down her hair. To be the shoulder she cried on. To have his arm wrapped around her shoulders. To be the one to comfort her. 

But he knew he shouldn't even have been there. That she would have been more upset if she found out that he saw her this way. So he moved to the corner of the room where he sat with his legs brought up against his chest, his head resting on the top of his knees. He made himself sit and watch as punishment. Each sob from her was a like a lance to his heart.

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Ranma stayed until Akane cried herself into exhaustion. She was so tired she made no objections as Nodoka moved her gently onto her back and tucked her in before his mother turned off the light and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He remained in his corner until he heard Akane's breathing became soft and even. It had taken everything in his power to keep his own feelings tampered so that he could stay in his Umi-Sen Ken state and in the room with her. He was glad to see that she had fallen asleep and hoped that she wouldn't have nightmares.

He allowed himself to run his hand lightly over her blue crop of hair, pushing her bangs aside, and bent down to place a feather light kiss on her forehead. He bound out her bedroom window and headed towards the roof. Once there, he finally released himself from the Umi-Ken Sen.

The Saotome secret technique was only achieved when the user minimized their emotions, making their chi and presence undetectable. Ranma had been able to learn the technique so quickly because it held many of same of the principals as the soul of ice, which he had to master to use the Hiryu-Shoten Ha. What most people didn't know was that once the user released himself from either the Umi-Ken Sen or the Soul of Ice, the emotions and feelings they had suppressed rushed back to them all at once. It had never been a pleasant experience but now he staggered at the rush of emotions that flooded him. He gave himself a moment to gain his equilibrium before he lay on his back. He stared unseeing at the cloudy black sky that seemed to reflect his mood.

He had no idea keeping the secret would hurt her so much. He had thought she would yell at him, rage at him, hit him. It would have been easier than what he had seen. He had never seen anything as devastating as Akane break down in tears.

But he didn't understand why she was so upset. Yes, he lied to her for years. He wasn't going to deny that or try to diminish how much it would hurt her. But he didn't think it warranted this reaction. It was too extreme for someone as strong as she was, and he wasn't thinking about her physical strength.

He finally realized that it was about more than just him. Earlier, she had been very upset when she found out that so many people knew about the curse. Akane had been angry about Shampoo's knowledge of the curse. He still had no idea why the Amazon kept Ranma's knowledge of Ryoga's curse a secret and he would never know if Akane's theory was right. It was the only time since the Amazons' departure that he wished he could see Shampoo. He wanted to ask her if Akane had been right. But even if he found out, it didn't change things. It was still bigger than that.

He saw what it did to her to find out that her father knew about the curse. She seemed so devastated by the knowledge. Ranma himself had no idea that Soun knew about the curse but wasn't surprised by the fact; their fathers were very close. If it had been his father who kept the secret from him, it would have been upsetting but he would have accepted it. But his father had done stupid things to him all his life. Akane and Mr. Tendo seemed to have a different relationship though, so it made sense that his knowledge would affect her more.

How would he have felt if he found out that so many people were hiding things from him? He would have been pissed. And if he thought Akane had kept something that big from him for that long? He would have felt completely betrayed.

Ranma sighed. Now that he figured out what she must be feeling, he still had no idea what to do. He had no idea where he stood. They had finally gotten to a place in their relationship where they were happy! Did this ruin everything? Did she no longer want to be with him? Did she hate him?

His heart throbbed at the thought. He had tried to tell her how he felt while they were arguing but she stopped him before he could say anything. From her response, it seemed that she knew what he was going to say and stopped him. Did that mean she didn't care about how he felt? That she didn't care about him anymore? 

He didn't know what he would do if she broke up with him. He didn't think he could live without her. An image of Akane as she lay unresponsive in his arms flashed into his mind and feelings of loss and hopelessness filled him. He hated thinking of that moment, hated the feeling of utter devastation and uselessness. He had been so lost then, had no direction, had no idea what to do if she truly had died.

He realized that he felt like that now. Not as extreme because she was safe and sound in the house. But the idea that she didn't want him anymore tore a hole through him. No, he definitely couldn't live without her. He couldn't. Just the thought had him lifting his hands to his eyes as he tried to knuckle back tears.

Crying wasn't manly.

He took a moment to even out his breathing and try to get his emotions under control. As he took a deep breath the sky opened up and rain began to fall down on him. For once he didn't care about his transformation and was actually glad for it. As water droplets fell on his face, they mixed with the tears that he finally let run free.

Girls were allowed to cry.

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The next morning Ranma had come down early for breakfast and was the first seated at the table. As everyone started to come down after him he was happy to see that Akane had decided to join the family for their meal. He wouldn't have blamed her if she wanted to avoid them. He watched her as she walked into the room and noticed that while her eyes looked slightly puffy, she showed no other signs from her emotional breakdown from the night before. When her gaze met his, he gave her a small hopeful smile. She kept eye contact for a moment before she looked away. His heart sank at the dismissal.

When she was seated, Kasumi began to pass out the rice. It was obvious from the barely half-full bowls she handed to each of the men that she was still upset at them. Genma frowned into his portion and was about to ask for more when his wife caught his eye. The look she gave him had his protest dying in his throat and he felt lucky to be fed at all.

When the eldest Tendo sister handed her father his bowl, Soun put on what he thought of as a winning smile and said, "Thank you, Kasumi!"

"You're welcome, father," she said automatically, her voice lacking all warmth. From anyone else, the tone would have been mild, but from Kasumi, it was as cold as an arctic wind.

Soun's lip quivered and his eyes started to fill.

"Stop it, daddy," Nabiki snapped out.

The narrowed eyes and furrowed brow told him that she would not tolerate his outburst for something she considered his fault. He gulped as he looked down to his bowl. His eldest daughters had made it clear to him the night before that they were on Akane's side in this matter and if he wanted their forgiveness, he would need to get hers first. Reaching for his tea, he took a sip before he turned to his youngest daughter. 

"Good morning, Akane," he said, his tone as pleasant as he could make it.

"Good morning," she replied, not bothering to look over at him.

"Did you sleep well, dear?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any plans today?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good." He waited a moment, hoping she would elaborate. When she didn't respond, he added, "What are they?"

"Nothing."

Soun looked wounded as he stared at his youngest daughter, who had still not looked at him. Despite her tomboyish ways, she had always been such a loving daughter and this coldness in talking to him hurt him deeply. He had hoped to ease his way into his apology but it looked like that wasn't going to be an option.

"Akane?"

"Yes?"

Soun cleared his throat before saying, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Ryoga's curse. I shouldn't have kept that from you. I hope that you can forgive me."

As the head of the family, he wasn't used to apologizing for his actions, even if what he did was wrong. It was slightly embarrassing but it had to be done.

The entire family watched as Akane put down her bowl and took a sip of her tea before putting her cup down carefully. 

"You're forgiven."

A broad smile bloomed on Soun's face. It was easier than he thought it would be to get his daughter to forgive him. He let out a chuckle and said, "Good! Well then, why don't..."

Akane cut her father off by saying, "Thank you for breakfast, Kasumi, Aunty," before she got up and walked out of the room.

At the table, Soun's smile faltered again and he said, "Well, she's probably has a busy day ahead of her." He stared at her back as she walked out. It seemed that he had been forgiven but he knew that he had a long road ahead of him to earn her trust again.

Nabiki rolled her eyes as she muttered, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that." She had not missed the fact that Akane had not called him 'daddy' once or made eye contact with him. It seemed that her father wasn't off the hook just yet. It made her a little proud that her little sister was standing up for herself. 

The middle Tendo eyed Ranma from across the table and noticed that he had barely touched his food. _Good_ , she thought viciously. Nabiki wasn't going to forgive either her father or Ranma for their part in keeping the secret and she hoped they both suffered since it was obvious her sister was.

She had been shocked at learning the secret and then annoyed. How had she missed something that big? But she was glad not to have been in the know. Now that they had worked things out between them, she wouldn't have wanted to be part of something that hurt her little sister so much.

Ranma put down his bowl shortly after and left the table. For the first time in his life, he wasn't hungry. He went to his fiancée's room, knocked lightly and said, "Akane, can I come in?"

He was greeted with a moment of silence before he heard her reply, "Yes."

He blew out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding and opened the door. He found her sitting at her desk, writing something. She hadn't bothered to look up when he came in and she still had her back to him. 

"Can we talk?"

"No."

He was unprepared for that answer and it shocked him.

"No?"

Akane sighed. She knew she had to talk to him, but had no real desire to. But she wasn't one to put things off. She put down her pencil and stared out her window.

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"I...I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

"You already apologized yesterday," she said curtly.

"I know...but I just wanted to tell you that I never meant to hurt you. I didn't really think about how it would make you feel."

"You didn't think about me at all, did you?"

"I did! I swear, it just wasn't...I didn't think it through. I thought you would be mad at me keeping the secret but I didn't think past that. It was stupid. I know that now. I know how you must feel..."

"You know nothing about how I feel!" she hissed at him, cutting him off. She whipped herself around to face him but still didn't look him in the eye.

"No, I don't! But it's not like you’re willing to tell me. You're barely talking to me and not even looking at me!" he yelled. His anger at himself and the frustration at the situation getting the better of him.

She angled her face up and looked straight at him. The fire he saw there had him staggering a little.

"Like you've been so open and honest with me?"

"I know I haven't! I…I'm trying."

"Well, it's a little too late for that, isn't it? You could have told me at any time about the secret. Even if you didn't think you could at the beginning, we've been...things had changed, hadn't they? We...we spent all that time talking and you didn't even consider telling me, did you?"

"I just didn't want to upset you."

"Well, good job," she said acidly.

"You think I liked keeping this from you? I hated it! I hated that you liked Ryoga more than me. I hated that my curse caused so many problems between us but his curse only brought him closer to you!" he screamed moving towards her.

Akane stood up suddenly, causing her chair to fall to the floor. She walked forward and stood toe to toe with her fiancé.

"I didn't like Ryoga more than you, you idiot! I liked P-Chan! I liked my _pet_. I loved my pet." She took a deep breath and swallowed audibly. "I loved him. He was like family to me. And now, now it's like he died. It's actually worse! If he died I could still think about all the fun moments we had together. But now when I think about him, I just feel sick."

She took a step back, her chest heaving as she tried not to cry.

"All I feel is disgusted that I was being used. All I can think about is holding him close to me." She crossed her hands over her chest. "Or taking him to bed with me." She gestured to the bed. "And you knew about it the entire time!"

"Do you think I liked that? I hated it!" Ranma waved his hands around and tugged at his hair in agitation. "It made me crazy every time he came around! I always tried to get him away from you!"

"But all you had to do to stop it was to tell me! To let me see the transformation with my own eyes and it would have stopped!"

"Don't you think I know that?! I'm sorry! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am!" He took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself down. "Just tell me what I can do. How can I make you believe me? How can I make this better?"

"I don't know. I don't. I...I need more time."

He stood staring at her, knowing that she was telling him the truth. If she knew, she would have told him. She wouldn't have held it against him just to punish him. She didn't have that in her.

Unsure of what to do, he stuttered slightly as he said, "Umm...Okay. I'll just...go then."

He waited a moment, hoping to receive a response from her, any response, before he left. He was disappointed and hurt that she didn't so much as glance his way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A couple days had passed since their last argument. The students at school could not help but notice the change in the way that Ranma and Akane treated each other. The seemingly happy pair was gone and what replaced it scared the students. Before, when the couple fought, it had been loud and often violent. Now, they were eerily quiet. Not a word that was normally used to describe either person.

Some of the more fanciful students had likened it to being in the eye of the storm; they were safe but no one knew for how long. The only person who seemed cheered by the change in their relationship was Ukyo, a fact that surprised no one.

Ranma, though, was at his wits end. He just couldn't take it anymore. Akane barely looked at him nowadays and when she did, he couldn't tell what she was feeling. She wasn't even ignoring him. Instead she was being polite to him. She always answered his questions but with as few words as possible. She never initiated a conversation with him. When he entered a room, she left quickly after.

It was so frustrating!

Her attitude was starting to freak him out. She was acting like a completely different person. She was some weird amalgamation of Kasumi and Nabiki. She kept her facial features as neutral as possible while being as utterly polite, like the eldest Tendo. But she had a coolness that was so much like Nabiki and emitted no joy.

He missed her laugh. He missed her smile. He just missed her.

But it was strange missing someone you saw every day. Missing their company even as they sat next to you. Missed their conversations while they were talking to you. Could you long for someone when they had never left?

It made the situation worse that she was treating everyone the same way. It worried him that she wasn't being friendly to anyone. She had very effectively put up a wall around her that no one seemed able to break. He had watched, from a hiding place behind a bush, as Yuka and Sayuri had attempted to engage her in conversation during lunch. They only received a small smile from her before she looked away and stared off into space. He hadn't missed her friends giving each other worried looks.

And just last night, his mother had asked her if she wanted to help prepare dinner and she had said no. No! Akane, who had never passed up a chance to help with dinner, had said no. He couldn't believe he was actually hoping that she would cook!

Sitting on the bench at school, he thought that he was losing her in more ways than one. He could feel her pulling away from him more and more as time passed. But worse, she just wasn't herself. Where was the feisty girl he fell for? The spitfire that enjoyed life and made the people around her smile?

He had tried giving her space but it didn't seem to make anything better. It had been two whole days and nothing had changed.

Two days!

Something had to be done.

He stood up suddenly and smacked his right fist into his open palm as realization hit.

He would not lose her. He would get his old Akane back! He would win her back. He would woo her!

He stood with his legs slightly apart and crossed his arms over his puffed out chest, confident in his ability to make her forgive him. Behind him two students carrying a Japanese flag stopped as the marching band walked past them playing "Eye of the Tiger." A girl to his left tripped and the box she was carrying flew up into the air as the confetti inside floated around him. Ranma threw his head back and let out a loud chuckle.

Around him, students made warding signs, moved away as quickly as possible, or just shook their heads and they realized the slight reprieve they had from the Nerima craziness was over.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** Sorry for all the angst but Akane’s reactions to the issue are complex and varied. There are plenty of fics that just gloss over her feelings and treat it as a minor issue that she should just get over. I wanted to do her justice and I hope I did a good job.

Time for a mini-rant. It was mentioned in a review that Ranma was always trying to give hints to Akane about Ryoga’s curse. I don’t believe this to be true and the idea is purely fanon based. In the manga, when Ranma calls Ryoga P-Chan or vice versa, he is doing it to taunt him. Ranma was not trying to give Akane hints about P-Chan’s true identity. Many authors use this as a way to lessen Ranma’s culpability because he tried to tell her, making him seem more innocent. It also serves to put the onus on Akane for not taking the hint, making her responsible for not listening to him, and/or ignoring his warnings. The blame is then shifted to Akane, making her look like an oblivious moron. Despite what many people think, it was not obvious P-Chan and Ryoga are one in the same, not if you look at things from Akane’s point of view. She had no reason to connect the two, nor would she have reason to think they are hiding things from her when everyone else’s curses were out in the open. As readers, we see it as obvious because we know from the get go. I hope that this doesn’t offend any of the reviewers that had mentioned these things, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves in stories and I wanted to let everyone know why I am not using these ideas in this story.

Thanks to my beta, **alwaysZutarian** for getting this back to me so quickly! 

Original Publication Date: January 26, 2015

Revised: July 9, 2015


	19. Arc VI: Making Amends; Chapter: Wooing and Advice

Pacing the dojo, Ranma was doing something he wasn't known for: thinking.

After his bout of confidence at school, his nerves began to get the better of him as he realized he didn't know what to do to win his fiancée back. He screwed up big, so he reasoned he had to do something big to make it up to her.

But what?

Really, he had no clue.

The problem was he wasn't used to trying to make girls like him, they just did. Whether he liked it or not.

And really, who could blame them?

Akane, though, had always been different and he liked that about her. So he would have to do something to show how much he cared. That showed her how important she was to him. It really stumped him but when he began to think of it as a battle strategy, he relaxed a little. He knew that when it came to battle, he would always win, and the task felt less daunting. He always found a way to win.

He paced some more as a plan began to form in his mind. _It would work_ , he thought. He cringed a little when he realized it would be horribly embarrassing but it was worth it if he could get Akane to understand how much she meant to him.

Yes, it would work but the plan required...well, planning and time. So until he was ready, he would butter her up a little as he went along and if all went as planned, he would have her back by the end of the week.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tuesday Morning

0745 hours

Location: Furinkan High School

Positioned in an air vent, Ranma Saotome had a direct view of Akane's locker.

He had left for school an hour before he usually did. He got to school fifteen minutes ago. He had never been to school that early before - he usually barely made it by the time before the bell rang - and found the place a little eerie.

The halls were empty of the students that usually rushed around. They seemed overly large without the crush of bodies that normally occupied the space. It was as quiet as a tomb, as even the teachers hadn't arrived yet. His footsteps seemed to echo as he walked down the eerily quiet halls, instead of the loud sounds of chatter and gossip that usually filled the space.

Everything for the first stage of buttering Akane up was ready. Today was simple, a token of his affection that he knew girls loved.

He tried to shift to make himself more comfortable but couldn't do much as he had barely fit in the air shaft in the first place. He sighed as he realized he had come too early. He just didn't want anyone to see him climb in and give away his location; he wanted to watch her covertly and see her response for himself.

After ten uncomfortable minutes where he watched students start to flow in - did everyone come to school this early? - he finally saw his fiancée come walking towards her locker. As she walked he saw several boys greet her and check her out, some subtly and others blatantly. The least offensive of them only gave her a subtle head to toe look over. One guy had turned his neck around as he walked by her to check out her ass and walked right into an open locker door. While another wolf whistled at her. It chapped his hide.

Were they always looking at her like that? He never noticed before. But they probably wouldn't dare be that obvious when he was around. They all knew he would have pounded them into the ground without a second thought. He clenched his hands into fists a couple of times and took a deep breath.

_It doesn't matter. They don't have a chance with her_ , he thought, calming himself down a little. He still hated it though and the annoyance didn't vanish completely.

As she got closer his annoyance turned to anticipation. He watched as she stopped and reached for her locker, her hand hovering right over the combination lock, just as someone called her name. He rolled his eyes as Yuka came up to say good morning. He would have drummed his fingers in frustration if he were physically able to. He willed the other girl to leave and when she finally stepped away, he sighed in relief. His right leg was beginning to fall asleep and he wanted to get out of there!

He kept his eyes focused on Akane's face as she opened the locker. When she looked inside she looked momentarily shocked before a smile automatically graced her lovely features. Her face turned to confusion and she glanced around her before putting her hand inside and pulling out a dozen roses. She took a sniff at them and he watched in satisfaction as a small smile appeared on her face. She pulled the card out and her expression turned blank when she read the contents.

She put the flowers back inside as she pulled out the books she would need for first period and walked away.

The hallways were almost completely empty as Ranma wriggled himself out of his hidey hole. He was a little disappointed that she didn't take the flowers with her but then he couldn't exactly expect her to bring them to class with her. He was happy that they brought a smile to her face but wondered about the reaction to the card. He simply wrote 'I'm sorry' on it and then his initials. That couldn't have been wrong, could it?

He sighed and then jumped in alarm as the bell rang. _Damn!_ He forgot all about going to class and now he was going to be stuck holding buckets! He hobbled down the hall - his right leg was still numb - completely forgetting his books.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That evening found Ranma in the dojo. He snuck out of the guest room shortly after everyone had retired for the night. He knew that Akane was the only other one in the house to use the dojo regularly and it was unlikely that he would be interrupted by anyone else this time of night.

The first part of his plan had been a success. Okay, not a success. But it had put a smile on Akane's face - however briefly - so he was going to take that as a win.

He was sitting with his back against the wall, his legs were bent in front of him and balanced on his knees was a pad of paper. He needed to express himself like he never had before. Explain to her his regret. Describe his feelings for her. He had his right hand poised over the pad, ready to impart his innermost feelings.

And...

Nothing.

The page was blank. 

His previous unsuccessful attempts surrounded him; pieces of wadded up paper littered the floor around him.

He had wanted to start this task sooner but he didn't want to be caught and frankly, he didn't think it would have taken him so long to get this done.

He looked down at the blank sheet of paper and...still nothing.

_Why is this so hard?_

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths trying to relax. He bent his head backwards so that it rested on the wall behind him.

What he needed to do was meditate and he was sure inspiration would hit him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Breakfast, everyone!"

In the dojo, the pigtail boy stirred at the distant muffled sound but did not wake.

The next sound he heard was the sliding of the shoji doors and light footsteps before a hand shook his shoulder lightly.

"Ranma, wake up."

The shaking became firmer and more insistent. 

"Ranma! Wake up!"

Blue eyes blinked slowly open to find his mother bent over him, a worried expression on her face. Nodoka looked down at her son and took a good look at him. He was lying on his stomach, his head resting on his forearm, a piece of paper stuck to his face with what looked like drool. He had ink stains on his hands and part of his cheek that she assumed was from the pen he still had in his right hand. Balls of wadded up paper surrounded him.

"Ranma, did you sleep out here?"

Blinking his eyes to clear his fuzzy brain, he mumbled, "Yeah, musta fallen asleep. Wha time izit?"

"It's time for school."

"School?"

"Yes, school. That place you go to everyday where you learn. Hopefully." 

Curious as to all the paper surrounding her, she reached to pick one up. She had it in her hand and began to smooth it out when suddenly it flew out of her fingers with a swishing noise. She looked up to see Ranma had jumped to his feet and grabbed it away from her. She straightened up and watched curiously as he blurred around the room, picking up all the scraps and shoving them down his shirt. She quirked her eyebrows at him in amusement.

"Well, now that you are up, you need to go take a bath."

"Bath?"

"Yes, a bath. You cannot go to school looking like that. You go up and get ready, and I'll try to save you some breakfast and tell Akane to head to school without you."

Ranma frowned for a second before nodding his head. Even though their walks had been silent lately, he looked forward to that time he spent with his blue-haired fiancée. Ever since he first came to Nerima, walking to school together in the morning had been _their_ thing. Even before they could admit they could tolerate each other. He remembered how odd it felt heading to school without her during that short time he had lived in his mother's home.

It was a feeling he didn't like but there was nothing he could do about it. His mother wanted him to make himself presentable and he was not going to argue with her. She had very, umm, firm ideas on what was appropriate and it was never a good idea to challenge those ideas.

He headed straight for the furo and spent more time than he normally would getting ready; it took a while for him to scrub the ink marks off his skin. As it was, he could still see faint blue marks on his hand but thankfully his face had been washed clean.

With a note from his mother in hand, he went to school and was thankfully saved from bucket duty. He sat down at his desk and noticed that Akane had her face turned towards her paper as she worked on a word problem. He sighed and slumped down in his chair.

Would it have hurt her to just look in his direction?! Especially after all the trouble he went through to...

_Damn!_ he thought as he shot up in his seat. With all the rushing around this morning he had only just realized that he hadn't actually finished his project.

He took out his notebook and opened it to a blank page. He stared at it, hoping beyond hope that somehow words - and at this point any words would do - would just appear on the page.

The students around him scooted their desks away from him. Ranma Saotome staying awake for class was one thing but Ranma actually prepared to take notes? Well that was a sure sign of impending doom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In PE that day, the boys played basketball in the gym, away from the girls who had started a soccer unit. Usually any team featuring Ranma would win easily but his team mates had been disappointed when he seemed distracted. In fact, the pigtail boy just stood there staring off into space. The players actually had to play around him. When a member of his team yelled his name and passed him the ball. Ranma didn't even look up and the ball pegged him in the forehead. He flew back on one foot, his arms thrown into the air before he fell onto his back. He didn't even bother to stand back up. He simply crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the ceiling from his position on the floor. To their annoyance, two of his team members had to drag him off the court before resuming their game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was the last period of the day and Ranma felt himself sweat as class wound down. He still had nothing! The pigtailed boy glanced at the clock and for once was not happy that class had only one minute left.

Suddenly inspiration hit and he scribbled quickly. Hopefully she liked it as he thought it sounded pretty good. He ripped out the page from his notebook just as the bell rang. He folded it and quickly put it in his pocket.

He turned around to find Akane but she was already walking away with her friends. He hung back wanting to be alone with his fiancée when he gave her the paper. He followed the trio as they headed out of the school. When the two friends split from her at the gates, Ranma rushed forward but stopped short of his goal as doubt seeped in.

What if she hated it? What if she laughed at him? He didn't know if he could take that. But he needed to give her the note.

If he could manage to give it to her without having to see her reaction, he wouldn't be as nervous. It was cowardly of him but he went with it anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wednesday Afternoon

1715 hours

Location: Sidewalk

Walking home, Akane Tendo was just about to turn a corner when her danger senses went on alert. She stopped and looked around her just as she heard a whooshing sound and felt something hit her satchel. She looked down and saw an arrow sticking out of her bag.

She frowned as she looked at the arrow but realized the arrow hadn't actually pierced anything, the tip had been replaced with a suction. She reached down and pulled on the arrow and it came off with a "pop." It was then that she noticed a note tied at the top of the shaft, near the fletching. She looked around her and didn't see anyone.

She untied the note and her eyebrows furrowed as she read. Not sure what to make of it, she folded it back up and put it into the front pouch of her backpack and started towards home again. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Late that night Ranma was helping Mousse clean up the Neko Hanten. It had been a busy night but it flew by for the pigtailed boy, now girl. He had been so preoccupied with Akane's reaction that he had almost dropped a couple of dishes during his shift. He had to settle for carrying around only four plates on his arms, when he usually balanced six. He had completely nixed the idea of carrying the additional plate he normally had on the top of his head. He did not want to change into his male form if he had dropped a bowl of noodles on him.

He couldn't help but wonder what Akane's reaction to the note was. He had stayed to watch her read it, but he was too far away from her to be able make out her response.

He sighed. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. 

Mousse watched on from the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. Ranma had already walked Sayuri home before returning to help with the cleanup. He had been cleaning the same table for five minutes and the Amazon male shook his head as he watched the petite redhead sigh.

Mousse knew that Akane had finally found out about Ryoga's secret but he wasn't surprised as it was only a matter of time before it happened. He had felt guilty for his part in keeping the secret after he had found out about her reaction.

He had been instructed by Cologne to keep the information about "P-Chan" from the Tendo girl. He had not understood why the matriarch wanted the secret hidden but he had his suspicions. He thought the elder was saving the information, and Ranma's part in it, to permanently drive a wedge between the two, but he couldn't be positive. Regardless of what he thought, he did as he was told. When an Elder gave an explicit order, all members obeyed or risked punishment.

It had never bothered him before; Akane was just someone he knew and interacted with on occasion. He would have done it just to keep Shampoo happy, regardless of Cologne's orders. Ryoga's secret was so innocuous that he didn't even think about it even after the two women left Nerima. He hadn't given it a thought until he heard about Akane finding out. She had helped him so selflessly, that he now felt guilty.

Worse, he didn't know if he would have told her if he did remember. He knew he wanted to, since she was his friend but he was still under orders to keep the secret and he did not know if he would have gone against a direct order.

It was then that he realized how much the last few weeks - probably years, now that he thought about it - had changed him. He would never have dared even thinking about disobeying an order before. Part of the change was caused by having a friend that was worth risking punishment for. He had never had one before. A friend. Especially a female one.

Being around other men his age, also played a part in his chance. Men free of the restrictions of living in such an oppressive society. Men who were not only encouraged but expected to excel at martial arts.

He wondered then if he could go back to Joketsuzoku. If after being exposed to such a world that he would be able to fit back into such an oppressive society. He shook his head to clear those thoughts.

Right now he needed to deal with Ranma. He already considered the pig-tailed boy an ally of sorts. It was only Shampoo that ever created friction between them, and now with her no longer a bone of contention, he felt much friendlier towards the pig-tailed boy.

Plus he owed it to Akane to help. It was obvious that she loved Ranma. Why, he didn't know. He was really confused as to why any of the girls wanted such a brash, egotistical, loud mouth male. But he knew more than anyone that you loved who you loved.

Mousse stepped forward and pulled out a chair at the table Ranma was cleaning and sat down, making himself comfortable. He pulled a teapot and two cups from his sleeves and placed it before him before filling both cups. Ranma was still wiping the same spot and hadn't even acknowledged his presence.

"Ranma, if you keep cleaning that spot, you’re going to make a hole in the table."

"Huh?" Ranma said as he glanced up, blinking his eyes at Mousse. When did Mousse come out?

"Why don't you sit down and have some tea?"

Ranma plopped himself down on his chair and took the tea. Mousse looked on and although he wanted to help, he didn't know how to brooch the subject.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously.

Ranma just shrugged his deceptively delicate looking shoulders and blew the red bangs away from his face.

_He looks pathetic_ , Mouse thought, feeling a little bad that he was enjoying Ranma's pain. It was rare to see the often overconfident martial artist look so defeated.

They sat in silence for a while, both sipping tea.

"You've done some pretty stupid stuff to get Shampoo. Were you ever embarrassed by it?" Ranma asked bluntly.

"Of course I was. Do you think I enjoyed looking like a fool?" he asked indignantly. "But none of that would have mattered if any of my attempts had worked. Pride does not keep you warm at night," he added wisely.

Ranma thought it over and felt better about his recent behavior. Mousse was right - and wasn't that a shock? - what was a little embarrassment if he got what he wanted in the end? And there was no doubt that he wanted Akane.

Mousse was not someone he would normally talk to about things, but it was a little sobering to know that there was no one else to discuss things with. He wasn't one to trust easily or to share his feelings. At all. In fact, there was only one person he could talk to, that he trusted implicitly, but she wasn't exactly speaking to him at the moment. He then went on to tell Mousse about his current attempts at winning back his fiancée

The male Amazon stared at the pigtailed boy in pity. "So, you're telling me that you wrote Akane a poem."

"Yup."

"Akane Tendo."

Ranma rolled his eyes, "You know another 'Kane?"

Mousse shook his head not believing what Ranma had done. Even he knew that after her dealings with Kuno, the blue-haired girl was probably turned off of poetry for life. But he kept that opinion to himself and remained silent for a moment as he figured out how to help.

"Do something, describe Akane for me."

"Describe her? She's about shoulder height to me, has short hair..."

"No. That's not what I meant." Mousse sighed, he should have known Ranma would have taken him literally. "Tell me who she is." When Ranma looked at him blankly he added, "I'll start. She's female, a daughter, a sister..." The male Amazon trailed off and gestured for Ranma to go on with his hand.

"Umm. She's a student...a friend...and my fiancée," Ranma added. He knew he was being lead to something, but for the life of him, he had no clue what it was.

Mousse leaned back and sighed heavily as he shook his head.

"Is that it? Is there anything you're missing?"

Ranma scratched his head and replied, "I don't think so."

"See? That's the problem right there. But of course you don't see it because you don't even know what you're missing." Mousse thought if over for a second before adding, "Okay, now describe yourself."

"Me? Well, that's easy. I'm a guy," he looked down at the pair of rather perky breasts he currently had and rolled his eyes. "I'm a guy," he added firmly, "I'm a martial artist, a..."

Mousse held up his hand in a stopping motion, silencing his companion. He stared at the other boy hoping rather furtively that the obvious would sink in. When Ranma just continued to stare at him, the male Amazon rolled his eyes. It looked like he would have to spell it out for his obtuse friend.

"You're a martial artist. That is what you see yourself as first, how you identify yourself." He waited while Ranma nodded his agreement. "But you never once thought to describe Akane that way. If I asked her the same question, I am sure that being a martial artist is one of the first things she would use to describe herself. Don't you find it odd that you don't even think of her as one?"

Ranma laughed. "Look, I know she can fight. She's really not bad but she is nowhere in the same league as me."

"No one is in the same league you _think_ you are in, not even you. But that's beside the point. Regardless of how good she is, that is what she sees herself as. You're as good as you are now because your father trained you your entire childhood. Then when you got here Cologne trained you. Even Happosai had a hand in making you a better martial artist. You are better now, with both their help, than you were when you arrived in Nerima, right?"

Ranma nodded his head, "Yeah, sure."

"Now imagine you didn't have Cologne or even your father to train you. How good do you think you would be? Do you think you would be as powerful?"

The pigtail boy shrugged, "No. Not as good but I wouldn't give up. I would always be trying to learn somehow."

Mousse pointed a finger at him. "Exactly. You would try but it would be very hard. You have no idea how hard it would be to learn new things. To self-train." The Amazon thought back to his own training and the frustration of learning new techniques without instruction. "I don't think you have any idea what it would be like to have no one guide you in your training. No one to correct your mistakes or teach you new things.

"Do you know how surprisingly good Akane is for someone who has basically trained herself? From what I can surmise, Mr. Tendo had stopped training her after Mrs. Tendo passed away. Since then Akane had been training all on her own and she got to the level she has. She may not be as good as you, but she has so much untapped potential."

Ranma had never thought of it that way. He had always assumed that she had more training from her father but now that he thought of it, he had rarely ever seen Mr. Tendo in the dojo and had never recalled him actually practicing with Akane.

"Do you know how Shampoo got to the level she is now? She was trained from the moment she could walk. She was taught games that improved her coordination, her instincts, and her stamina. She loved it. She excelled and when she was 10 she began to stand out amongst her peers. She was then given special attention and worked with trainers daily. If Akane were born in our village and given the training Shampoo had, given the attention Shampoo was given, I have no doubt that she would also have been one of the best warriors of our generation."

He would not go as far to say she would have been as good as Shampoo. In his eyes, no one ever could be. 

"Do you even have any idea how much she has improved since she started training with Taro, Konatsu, and me?"

Ranma thought back to when she had on the magical battle dogi, and how she had beat him at every turn. He knew that when she wore Do-chan, the suit enhanced her skill level until it was at her highest potential. She had been absolutely unstoppable.

"But what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Respect her. Acknowledge her. Work with her to help her get better just like the rest of us have."

Thinking back to his own painful training he said, "I can't...I'd have to hit her if I trained with her."

"Yes, I know."

"But...I can't hurt her."

"We both know there is more than one way to hurt someone. Bruises fade, cuts heal, bones mend. You are hurting her more by ignoring this part of her and that cuts deeper than any physical pain."

Mousse got up then and cleared the table. He didn't know if what Ranma was doing would hurt or help his chances with Akane but he knew that this was a fundamental problem in their relationship. He hoped that by pointing it out, he would help his friend, both of them, find the happiness that seemed to always elude him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That night Ranma lay awake in his bed, the sounds of his mother's gentle breathing and his father's loud snores his only companions while Mousse's words echoed through his head.

He had never given any real thought to Akane's training or her skill level. When he arrived in Nerima, he found her enthusiasm for martial arts contagious. With the friendliness that she showed him, and the complete disdain she had for the engagement, he had for a brief moment thought he found a friend, someone who shared his passion for martial arts. When they had first sparred he had found her easy to defeat but he admired her effort and determination.

The next day when she fought off the group of boys, he had been impressed with the way she handled herself. Even though most of them were just big brutes without any skill or training, and the ones with training were laughably bad, she was able to deal with the crowd quickly. Not an easy feat when you were fighting such large numbers, who were very determined to win.

He had been impressed by her. When had that changed?

The answer was simple. He fought against the engagement and her, so he had stopped acknowledging anything positive about her, even to himself. When his feelings began to change, he fought that too. By the time he realized how he really felt, he had so dismissed her skills that he never gave it a second thought.

He knew that she was strong, she used that strength against him plenty, and that she could protect herself, to a point. He was so glad that she could because they ended up in plenty of dangerous situations.

But the thought of training her, of just helping her get better? It never occurred to him. Her training seemed wholly separate from his. 

How would he have felt having been basically ignored by everyone? Having had no help to get better? Or worse, how would it have felt like to have the one person who mattered the most to him, whose opinion he held in such high esteem, basically ignore the one thing he was so proud of?

Ranma rolled over to his side as he punched his pillow and sighed deeply. 

It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day Ranma woke up feeling unsettled but determined. He had finally fallen asleep late into the night but only slept in spurts. He knew that he had to make up with Akane before he could do anything to make up for his neglect of her martial arts.

He had one more thing he wanted to try before the big event he had planned two days later. Unlike the other attempts, this will have to wait until later this evening. He hoped that she would like it because he would be exposing himself to ridicule by their families. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thursday Evening

2100 hours

Location: Tendo Backyard

Ranma grabbed the boombox he borrowed from Hiroshi and brought it to the engawa. He was mercifully alone, their fathers had chosen that night to visit their favorite bar. The ice had thawed a little for the patriarchs around the house but the women were still plenty cool towards the two men and they wanted a small reprieve from the hostility.

He popped open the cassette player and slid in the single he had purchased earlier that day. He pressed play but there was no sound. He rolled his eyes as he realized he forgot to turn the thing on. He pressed the ON button but still nothing happened. He swore under his breath when he realized that the thing was out of batteries. He plugged in the power cord and was happy to hear the beginning notes of "In Your Eyes" come out of the speakers. He pressed the OFF button and grabbed the handle and walked outside, only to stop when he felt the boombox tug him back.

_Damn! The cord isn't long enough_ , he thought. 

He put the stereo down on the engawa and went in search of an extension cord. The one he found wasn't very long but he thought it would do the trick. Plugging it in, he walked to the edge of the pond. He turned the dial to MAX and pressed play, picked it up and turned towards the bedroom windows and lifted the boombox over his head.

He waited.

And waited for what felt like forever.

Then he saw a movement in one of the windows and watched as a dark-haired woman with short hair threw open her bedroom window. She stuck her head out and glared at him.

"Turn that damn thing off!" she yelled at him before she threw a large book at him, hitting him in the forehead.

He kept the boombox balanced in his hands as he tipped backwards onto one foot. He tried to tip himself forward but it was useless. He plopped into the pond still holding the boombox. The water electrified, causing the now petite redhead to jerk in the pond before shooting him out of it. Still holding the stereo, the sudden movement yanked the device from the socket.

Ranma landed on the grass next to the pond face down, his red hair singed and sticking up at an odd angle as his body jerked on the ground.

"That's not gonna work, Romeo!" Nabiki taunted from her bedroom window.

Ranma flopped onto his back and looked up to see that Akane hadn't so much as come to her bedroom window. He sighed and decided that he would just lie there for the moment. He was interrupted when a shadowy figure landed next to him. He looked up to see Taro shaking his head at him.

"That was pathetic," Taro said with absolutely no sympathy.

Ranma pulled himself up to a sitting position and tried to ignore the jeering man next to him, hoping it would cause him to leave. However, Taro didn't get the hint and plopped himself down next to the wet redhead.

"Do you think something that lame is going to get her back?" he asked doubtfully.

"What the hell do you care?" Ranma spat back at him.

"I don't." When he only received a glare in response, Taro added, "Not about you, anyways."

They sat in silence for a while before Ranma asked, "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I was waiting until everyone else fell asleep and then I was gonna sneak into Nabiki's room," he answered unrepentantly, a wolfish grin on his face.

"I'm sorry I asked."

"I never thought of you as a prude."

"I'm not."

"Whatever." Thinking about the problem at hand he asked, "So what are you gonna do to get out of the dog house?"

"I got something planned."

"Let me guess, it's gonna be obnoxious and probably embarrassing, right?"

Ranma just glared in return. It wasn't going to be obnoxious. She was going to really like it.

She was.

Oh, please let her like it.

"I've got a great idea, why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"I dunno what you mean."

"Have you ever told her you were sorry?"

"Oh course I said I was sorry, how stupid do you think I am?" Ranma waited a beat before adding, "That was a rhetorical question, don't answer that."

"Have you told her that you love her?"

"What…wha…I…never said…"

"Stop. You don't have to admit it to me but don't lie. It's obvious to everyone how you feel about her."

When Ranma remained quiet, Taro took that as acknowledgement.

"I'm taking that as a no."

"Well, I tried but she stopped me!"

Taro's eyes narrowed suspiciously before he asked, "When did you try to tell her?"

"After she found out about Ryoga, I was trying to let her know how much she meant to me and she didn't want to hear it."

"And that's it? You haven't tried since?"

"Of course. I gave her flowers the other day and I...I've been doing other stuff to win her back," he said not wanting to embarrass himself even further.

"So basically you tried to tell her that you love her when she was pissed off at you and then just made half-assed attempts to get her to forgive you."

Ranma only glared at him in response. When Taro said it like that, it made him sound stupid.

"Why hadn't you told her how you feel before now?"

"Well, you know, we were always fighting and..."

"No. I mean recently. I've seen the way you guys are around each other when you don't think other people are looking." He didn't mention he had glimpsed them in her room or on the roof as he was sneaking in and out of the house.

Ranma squirmed uncomfortably. "I dunno, it's just not manly to talk about your feelings like that." Taro purposefully drew his eyes over Ranma's body before staring at him blandly. "Shut up, I'm a guy! And guys just don't go talking about their feelings and shit, okay?"

"Who the hell told you that?" When Ranma remained quiet, Taro continued, "Man, you shouldn't go around talking about your emotions and shit to me, or your friends, but you sure as hell should tell your woman how you feel."

The pig-tail boy scoffed. "Right. Like you've told Nabiki you love her."

_Love her? No_ , Taro thought.

An image of the middle Tendo sister popped into his head, complete with the trademark smirk on her face that he adored, and he had to fight the smile that wanted to spread across his face.

Nabiki was unlike any of the girls he had ever met before. While her younger sister lived in a black and white world of good and bad, her world was mostly grey. She was so flexible and fluid with what she considered right and wrong, a trait he shared.

She was beautiful, smart, and funny. She was also unapologetically materialistic, mean, and brutally honest. She knew his faults and liked him anyways. He had told her how he felt about her, that she meant more to him than just sex. That he enjoyed the time they spent together out of bed, too. That he didn't want either of them to be with anyone else.

He didn't believe in mushy crap like true love, or soul mates, but he knew he had never been happier. He didn't think he could ever find someone who made him so happy, or someone that was so right for him if he tried.

No, he wasn't in love. Yet.

"Nabiki knows exactly how I feel about her."

"Yeah, and what is that?"

"None of your damned business. I dunno what it's gonna take to get Akane to forgive you, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be more than your lame attempts to impress her."

Taro moved to a standing position and Ranma followed suit.

"Nabiki and Akane? They can do much better than us. Get her back before she realizes it," Taro said in an uncharacteristic moment of seriousness. He turned as if to walk away before he turned back. "Oh, and Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

Taro suddenly shot out his right arm jabbing Ranma square in the face, causing the redhead to fall back into the pond again.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked indignantly once he surfaced from the water.

"I still owed you one for that damn sucker punch you gave me a while back. Now we're even," Taro explained before walking away.

Ranma got slowly out of the pond as he thought over the unsolicited advice he got from both Mousse and Taro. They were the unlikeliest of confidants but they sure gave him a lot to think about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** Pata Hikari sent me a PM about some continuity issues that I wanted to address with everyone. I mention a couple of times that Ranma has been in Nerima for two years, that is approximate. In my mind it's from 18-22 months, so it's easier for Ranma and Akane to just think two years.

Thank you **alwaysZutarian** for all your help!

Original Publication Date: February 17, 2015

Revised: July 9, 2015


	20. Arc VI: Making Amends, Chapter: The Flaw in the Plan

It had been a very odd week for Akane Tendo.

First, she learned that her pet wasn't really her pet but a boy she knew - she stopped considering him a friend - with a curse.

Second, she found out that her fiancé and father knew about the curse and didn’t tell her. 

Third, her fiancé, who had always been awkward and shy about displaying his emotions, had started to behave rather oddly.

So she did what she had started doing more and more often when her life got out of control, she went to the park to think. She sat on her favorite bench. It had a view of the water, some shade offered by the tree behind it, and a nice breeze. 

She sat and just watched the people around her. It was a beautiful day out and people were taking advantage of the good weather. There were families having picnics, couples strolling hand in hand, and retirees feeding the ducks. It should have been soothing but nothing seemed to be able to make her happy these past few days.

Try as she might, she couldn't shake off the general depression she was in. At first she had shut down any display of her feelings, a trick she had learned recently. All she had to do was focus on keeping her face as placid as possible. She kept this facade on only during the day and had spent the nights crying into her pillow as she tried to figure out when her life had gone so wrong. But as the days passed, she found it easier to wallow in her feelings and the general feeling of apathy had started to overtake her.

She no longer had to try to keep the facade of feeling nothing, now she only felt numb. She no longer cried at night, but neither did she feel like laughing, smiling, or caring about anything. She knew she should get out of this funk, and she tried to, but the aforementioned odd behavior from her fiancé had only made things worse. It was easier to shut him out than feel.

She wished she knew what to do.

And as if by wishing it, she saw a very familiar feminine figure approach her in a beautiful kimono. She smiled automatically in greeting but the warmth never reached her eyes.

"We've got to stop meeting like this!" Konatsu greeted his friend enthusiastically before sitting beside her on the bench.

"This does seem to be our spot, doesn't it?"

"Yes, and I couldn't imagine a lovelier one." He bent over to pick a flower growing next to the bench and sniffed it dramatically as he closed his eyes before he tucked the perennial behind his ear. The flower matched his kimono, making him look even more fetching. "I've missed you these last few days."

"What?" Akane asked before she realized what he was referring to and added somewhat guiltily, "Oh. I just haven't felt like running lately. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"Oh don't worry about it!" he said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. He looked out at the water a while as he subtly tried to gauge his friend's emotional state. It worried him that she lacked the enthusiasm she usually had. After the initial greeting, she had become so silent and sullen.

He had heard from Taro and Mousse what had happened. He had been so surprised by the news because he himself did not know about the curse. He had only been exposed to Ryoga once during the wedding. After he found out the truth, he did recall seeing P-Chan suddenly show up in the dojo. But he had been so focused on Ukyo he had not truly paid attention to the situation. He knew Akane was taking things hard but this was more than he expected.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine," the blue-haired girl replied automatically.

She stared off into space, knowing he would not push her. That he would respect her need for privacy and she was glad for it. She also knew that she could trust him to listen and she needed someone to talk to or she was afraid she may never recover.

"No. I'm not alright," she whispered, still gazing at the blue sky.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. It's all so complicated."

He waited for her to say something more but when she remained quiet he said, "Would it help if I told you I know what happened?"

Akane turned to look at him then with a look of apprehension on her face. It was the first real sign of emotion that she had shown since he sat down and it relieved him.

She wondered what he meant when he said he knew. Did he know about the secret? Had he been a part of keeping the secret from her the entire time? She couldn't be mad at Taro since he had been the one to expose the truth and had obviously thought she knew about it herself. It had been harder for her to not be angry at Mousse but it only took some thinking to realize that he would not have told her about the secret because they had only recently become friends. She also suspected that Cologne would have given him orders to keep quiet on the matter to use the knowledge to her advantage.

She didn't know if she could take it if she found out that one more person she considered her friend kept this from her.

"Did you know?" she asked tentatively.

Konatsu shook his head, "No. Not in the way you think. Mousse and Taro told me about everything that happened. All of it." He paused and added, "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you are feeling."

She swallowed hard and looked back to the scene before her, this time gazing at the water.

"Have you talked to Ranma since it happened?" he asked.

She only shook her head in response.

"Hasn't he tried to talk to you?"

"Not since we had our last fight."

Konatsu raised an eyebrow at this. He highly doubted that Ranma would do nothing with Akane this upset.

"So, he hasn't tried to make-up with you at all?"

"No, I said he hasn't tried to talk to me since the day after we fought. He has tried to...well I'm not sure. It's a little weird."

"Weird. From Ranma? You don't say," he remarked dryly. That earned him a small smirk and he added, "What has he 'tried?'"

"Well, he put some roses in my locker at school, then he wrote me a poem, and last night...I _think_ he tried to serenade me. I'm not sure as he just stood out by the pond and held a boombox in the air while blasting some music. I was in Nabiki's room and she told me what was going on. I didn't want to look out the window though and she got him to stop by throwing a book at him." 

"That's good, isn't it? It sounds like he is trying to win you back."

"Yes, it does sound like that, doesn't it?"

"From that tone, I take it that you don't think so."

Akane sighed heavily. "You know how Ranma is when he's in his girl form and he wants to scam some food or tries to get a guy to do what he wants? He acts super girly, batting his eyelashes, giggling, and pretends to be all sugary sweet?"

Konatsu nodded, "Sure."

"Well, that's how he _thinks_ girls should act." The kunoichi looked confused but remained quiet. "So when he does things like buy roses, write poems, and serenade me, it's because he thinks that is what he is _supposed_ to do to win over a girl."

"Isn't it a good thing that he wants to win you over?"

Akane scoffed. "It would be if it were about me but it's not. It's about him."

The kunoichi frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand."

"Before you came to town, there was this incident with Shampoo. She had this magical Amazon brooch that manipulated a person's emotions depending on how it was worn. Shampoo had it on - I don't know if she knew what it did at first - and she suddenly hated Ranma. She couldn't stand the sight of him, wanted nothing to do with him, and outright rejected him."

She paused trying to gather her thoughts.

"And when she did, he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the idea that _she_ rejected _him._ It...I think it was a big blow to his ego or something. He had to get her to admit that she loved him. He tried everything to get her back to worshiping him," she sneered.

"He bought her roses, he tried to use ME to make HER jealous. He even..." She chewed her lip, not wanting to hurt her friend but wanting to explain to him the lengths Ranma had gone through. "He was so unsure of himself that he made Ukyo admit...her feelings for him, just so he could feel better about himself." 

Akane shook her head as she remembered how disgusted she was at him when she witnessed that. How disappointed she was in him. She had been ready at that moment to walk away from him for good.

"That whole thing wasn't about Shampoo or her feelings for him. Or Ukyo's feelings. And it definitely had nothing to do with my feelings. It was all about him and his ego. It wasn't that he couldn't stand losing her, he couldn't stand losing. If he rejected her and then she left or told him that she hated him, it wouldn't have bothered him. He was willing to tell her that he...that he loved her just to get her to follow him around again."

She swallowed hard as the pain she felt during the incident came back to her. She hated thinking of that event.

"What happened? He didn't tell her that he loved her, did he?"

"No...I ended up interrupting them. But I wonder what would have happened if I didn't. Would he have gone through with it?"

"So, you think that he's doing the same thing now."

"Yes. He's not trying to win me back, he's trying to make sure he doesn't loose. That's why he's acting like this. If he really cared about how I felt he would be...I don't know. More him, I guess." 

Akane sighed again, this time in relief. It felt good sharing her feelings with someone. She had kept too much to herself lately and she felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders. 

They sat in silence for a while before Konatsu said, "Can I give you my opinion?"

"Of course."

"Have you considered that maybe he just doesn't know _what_ to do? That he's really trying his best? I'm not saying you are wrong, I just don't want you to judge him too harshly, too quickly."

They sat in silence for a while longer, before Konatsu's curiosity got the better of him.

He cleared his throat and said casually, "So he wrote you a poem?"

"Yeah."

"Was it good?"

Akane's lip curved up at the corners, "Not really."

"Was it worse than Kuno's poetry?" Konatsu asked curiously. He had been on the receiving end of some of the kendoist's original works and assumed that Akane had received her fair share herself.

That got a snort from the blue-haired girl.

"No one can be as bad as Kuno." 

Akane reached into the hidden pocket in her uniform and pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Konatsu, who unfolded it and recognized Ranma's cat scratch handwriting on it. He smiled as he read the note.

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_Just like your hair,_

_and you kick good, too._

_~Ranma_

Konatsu pressed his lips together as he finished reading the poem, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Well...it...ummm...rhymes," he said, trying to be kind.

Konatsu’s lips twitched despite his efforts to keep a sedate look on his face.

“And see? He thinks…he thinks you kick good. That’s nice, isn’t it?”

He bit his lips together heroically but couldn’t stop his shoulders shaking from the effort to keep from laughing. Akane looked at him from the corner of her eyes, the corner of her lips curved up in amusement.

“Is my hair really blue?” she asked curiously.

“Hmm…” he murmured tentatively as he tried to get himself under control.

He looked over at the sudden burst of laughter that sounded from his companion and was happy to see the familiar twinkle in her eyes before he allowed himself to laugh along with her.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Akane felt like herself. It felt good to laugh and to spend time with a friend. To share her feelings and just talk to someone. She had felt betrayed, and by so many people, that she had shut herself off from everyone. She had pushed everyone away and denied herself the thing she needed most, comfort and understanding. It took someone being there for her to realize her mistake.

When the laughter died down, Konatsu handed the paper back. He watched as she folded the paper carefully and stuffed it back into her pocket.

“It really was better than Kuno’s poetry.”

“Yes. The brevity helped,” she added dryly.

Konatsu smirked at the comment. There was the girl that he knew and loved.

Akane looked at Konatsu and she suddenly thought of how easy her life would be if she loved him. There would be no more fights over stupid misunderstandings. No problems with extra fiancées. He always knew how to get her out of any funk. They had such an easy time talking to each other.

Yes, her life would be so much simpler if she loved Konatsu. He was funny. Strong. Kind. He made her feel good about herself. She looked at him again, appraisingly this time. Even with the kimono on she could make out his strong shoulders, his face was beautiful, his eyes twinkled with laughter, and…

The thought of his touch didn’t make heart thump in her chest. His smile didn’t make her weak in the knees. Sparks didn't fly when she looked into his eyes. There was nothing between them but the warmth of friendship. She wished she could love him or someone like him. Her life would be so much easier.

But it was Ranma she wanted to be with. With him her life may never be easy. Would probably never be calm. He would probably drive her crazy. They would probably always fight over stupid things. But there would also be laughter. Quiet moments where they shared their thoughts. Silly moments where he would make her laugh. He made her happy the way no one else could.

He was the only one that ever made her feel weak in the knees. The only one who made her react so strongly to his advances. That only one that made her want. Just thinking about the late nights in her room and his hands on her body made her body tingle all over.

It was Ranma that she loved. Ranma was the only one she ever loved and probably would ever love.

The thought didn’t frighten or sadden her as it did a few days ago. Instead it gave her hope that they could work things out.

  
Sure he was loud, obnoxious, egotistical, and had no idea how to express himself. But he was also kind, always the first to help those in need, driven, and smart. He would do anything for her, just like she would do anything for him. He had risked his life for her. He was far from perfect but she had never wanted perfect.

She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet; it wasn’t going to be as easy as that. They still had so much to talk about, so much to deal with. But now that she let go of the initial pain, the initial anger, she was ready to move on and do what needed to be done to get them back on track.

She just didn’t know what that was yet.

Excited about her sudden epiphany, she impulsively threw her arms around Konatsu and gave him a peck on the cheek. She blushed when she realized what she had done. She got up suddenly and said, “Thanks, Konatsu,” before giving him a glimpse of the famous smile that won so many hearts and walked away.

The kunoichi watched amused as her figure disappeared around a bend.

“You can come out now, Ranma,” he said in a calm tone.

He heard a theatrical sigh from the tree above him before the leaves rustled and suddenly the pig-tailed boy was sitting on the bench next to him with his arms crossed over his chest.

“How long have you known I was there?” he asked curiously.

“Not until Akane kissed me,” he replied casually. When he saw the Anything Goes Martial artist glare at him, he waved his hands in front of him and added cajolingly, “She doesn’t see me that way. She’s like a sister to me.”

Ranma continued to glare before he let out another sigh and slumped in his seat. He knew that they were only friends but he couldn’t help but be jealous that the kunoichi was the one who had brought a smile to her face and caused her to laugh. And that was even before she had given him that kiss. At that point he couldn’t keep suppressing his emotions and had slipped out of the Umi-Sen Ken.

He ran his hands over his face and said, “I know.”

Konatsu patted him gently on the shoulder and said, “It’ll be alright.”

“And how do you know that?”

“She kept that poem with her, didn’t she?” he said with a confident smile on his face.

Konatsu wanted to comfort his friend but in this situation his loyalties were scattered. He felt an obligation to Ranma, friendship for Akane, love to Ukyo, and his own questionable motives. Would he be helping Ranma get Akane back just to get the pig-tailed boy away from Ukyo for good? He didn’t know the answer so he decided that it was best to say no more, even if he wanted to help his friend.

He put a bright smile on his face and said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to Ucchan’s! Ta!” and wiggled his fingers at the pig-tailed boy before walking away.

Ranma sat there feeling a little better than he had before. Maybe it did mean something that she had kept that poem with her, even though she didn’t like it. And it was frustrating that she didn’t like it! He had worked so hard on it and didn’t think it was that bad. It was definitely better than his other attempts.

Eavesdropping on her wasn’t his intent, it just happened. He wasn’t trying to spy on her either. He had only been following her to make sure she was safe. He was concerned about her safety.

No, that was an excuse he used to make himself feel better. In truth, he had just missed her. Missed talking to her or just sitting with her. So he followed her to watch her, which made his heart ache at the distance that had grown between them. But try as he might, he couldn't stay away from her. And he was glad that he didn't because having overheard their conversation gave him a lot to think about.

She had been right. He did try to win her back by acting like he thought a guy should when wooing a girl. But that was just because he didn’t know how else to do it. He was used to girls just falling at his feet, so he didn’t know how to win one over. He did what he thought girls would like but he didn’t give thought to what Akane specifically would like. He was an idiot not to realize that roses and poetry would remind her of Kuno and his lame attempts to woo her.

But she had been wrong if she thought he was only trying to win her back so he wouldn’t lose. This wasn’t like that time with Shampoo. He groaned when he thought of that series of events. He was embarrassed and frustrated with himself over how he acted. His ego had been so bruised by the apparent dismissal from the Amazon that he couldn’t stand it. He had chased her for his own selfish needs. It was all about his ego.

He hadn’t really wanted Shampoo or it wouldn’t have taken him so long to say those three words to her. He didn’t think he would have ever said it and they would probably have been stuck on that bench all day. His ego and his real emotions had fought against each other, one telling him to do what he needed to win, the other telling him that he knew who he should be declaring himself to. But he could barely admit his love for Akane back then, so he was stuck in indecision for so long, sitting on that damned bench not knowing what to do. Saying ‘I love you’ to Shampoo would have been a lie and deep down he knew if he uttered those words to the Amazon, Akane would never have believed him should he finally have the guts to say them to her.

He had felt trapped in a situation of his own making. Unable to just leave and unable to utter false words until his blue-haired fiancée interrupted them and somehow allowed both his ego and his heart to win. And he gave thanks every day that she had, for he didn’t want to think about the consequences had he been stupid enough to fall for Shampoo's scheme.

But this was different. Trying to get Akane back wasn’t about his ego, it was about his need to be with her because he truly loved her. He wanted her in his life and wanted her by his side. He couldn't imagine living without her. He just wished he had given more thought to what she would have liked before going with what he thought he should do. And it was such a good plan too.

Ranma bolted up at the thought and he began to run out of the park and towards Furinkan. He had to put a stop to his plan. He now knew that if it came to fruition, it would only hurt her and may permanently drive a wedge between them.

He had planned an elaborate production to impress Akane after school the next day. Since it was Saturday, they would only be there a half-day. Sayuri and Yuka were going to help him guide Akane to the soccer field where they would ask her to sit and have lunch with them. Then the band, arranged by Daisuke whose sister played trumpet, would come onto the pitch and begin to play as they marched in the background. The theatre club, who owed him a favor for his portrayal of Romeo, would come out and perform a synchronized dance. Sayuri and Yuka would then roll out the red carpet he had hidden in a bush and perform a series of cartwheels and flips they had learned in gymnastics class, along the edge of the pitch where he would be waiting. He would reach her, get on his knees, and beg for her forgiveness. Hiroshi and Daisuke would be orchestrating the entire event on the sidelines, giving everyone their cues. This afternoon was going to be their big rehearsal. Ranma had spent all week negotiating with the different groups to agree to his plan.

He reached the edge of the school and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Hiroshi, Daisuke, Sayuri, Yuka and his other classmates were still there waiting for him. He had time to tell them it was off.

Although a lot of them were helping him out of loyalty to him, their fondness for Akane, or just for their chance to participate in what would be sure to be a legendary event in the making, he was still going to owe a lot of people favors.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After speaking to everyone at school, Ranma went for a walk. He needed to think and he knew that he did better thinking when he was moving. So he walked around as he thought, not noticing anyone. By dinner he was still thinking about things and had come up with few answers. When his stomach started rumbling he realized that he had been out most of the afternoon and headed home, not noticing how dark it was.

By the time he reached home, everyone had already gone to bed. He had missed dinner and hadn’t even noticed. He went into the kitchen and looked into the fridge, hoping to find a snack. To his surprise and delight there was a covered plate of food waiting for him.

He ate eagerly and headed for the dojo, where he spent the rest of the night working through the simple katas that would allow him to move while keeping his mind free.

He had only felt this lost once before, in a cave in China. He had thought she had died then and he felt like a part of him died along with her. He had no idea what he would do without her in his life. The emptiness and pain he experienced now felt so much like what he went through then. The only difference was she was safe and whole now, but she was still lost to him. 

He needed to get Akane back, but how? She had made it clear that his attempts had only made her more suspicious of him and when she explained it, he could see her point. He had acted purely out of selfishness with Shampoo. He had never thought about her feelings, Ukyo’s feelings, or Akane’s feelings. He had only thought about himself.

And now, trying to win Akane back, he had behaved in the exact same way! What else was she supposed to think? But he didn't know his attempts would make her feel worse! It seemed like he could do nothing right.

He punched the air viciously as he thought of how sad she looked while talking to Konatsu. His chest began to throb in pain.

If he didn’t figure out a way to fix things, she would leave him, and this time he would have no right to follow her or try to win her back. He wouldn’t force her to be around him if she…if she hated him.

He swallowed hard at the thought. His eyes began to water and his breathing grew ragged. He wiped the back of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath to try to calm himself. When he felt more in control he looked down and noticed that his hands weren’t steady but he couldn’t seem to get them to stop shaking. He took another deep breath.

So he would leave. Leave the Tendo home. The only real home he ever had, thanks in such large part to Akane. He would miss her with every breath but seeing her every day and knowing that he could never be with her, never touch her again, would be torture.

It would be worse, much worse, when she finally moved on. And she would, eventually. There was no shortage of guys vying for her hand and one would eventually win. The thought of another man holding her was too much for him. He knew that seeing her with someone else would break him.

No. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t let things end this way. So no matter what it took, he needed to find a way to get her to forgive him. 

Angry, his mind went back to that fateful night that Akane found P-Chan and replayed the events over and over in his mind. He stopped in the middle of his kata as things became clear to him. Things he had forgotten since then.

He dropped to the floor and pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his head on his knees as he rocked back and forth.

He understood, fully understood at that moment that this whole mess was his fault. In one stupid moment, he had ruined everything. If only he had talked to her then all of this could have been avoided.

But he could fix it! Maybe it wasn’t too late. He had screwed things up by not communicating with her, so he would fix things by talking to her. It was long past time he did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ukyo Kuonji stomped around her room that night, slamming drawers and glaring. She was angrier than she had ever been.

She had to spend a week suffering through watching Ranma and Akane being...nice to each other. It was sickening the way they had glanced at each other or...ugh...smiled at each other. She had felt so depressed and didn't know what she should do. She wanted to confront the two but she was worried about what would happen. Normally she wouldn't have given it a second thought but she could still remember how much Ranma had scared her when he was looking for Akane. She didn't think she could ever forget the look on his face or the black aura that surrounded him. Even in her anger she shivered at the memory. She was worried about pushing Ranma too far, unwilling to have him look at her that way again.

So she had spent the week sulking which caused Konatsu to dote upon her. He had been extra kind and attentive. At first she didn't think much of it, since he was often in his kimono. But he had begun to wear boys’ clothes and her reaction had changed. She found herself blushing under his gaze and stuttering when he asked her questions.

She didn't understand what was happening to her. She only reacted like that to Ranma and that was only when he called her cute. She had never reacted to any other boys like that. Confused, she had tried to treat Konatsu the way she always had, by being slightly dismissive, but it didn't work and she found herself getting flustered around him and wanted to kick herself. It was just Konatsu for heaven's sake!

Unsure of herself, she had actually thought about giving up her pursuit of Ranma and it surprised her. She had been focused on Ranma for most of her life. First to try to get revenge, then to get him to marry her. Would she even know what to do with herself if he wasn't the center of her life?

But if she did let him go, maybe she could find someone who loved her. Someone who chased after her and not the other way around. Someone who could share her dream of running a restaurant and raising kids. She tried to ignore the fact that when she thought of this mysterious future and unknown man, her mind filled with images of her with Konatsu.

She hated feeling so lost!

Then suddenly it seemed as if the fates made the choice for her. Ranma and Akane were suddenly on the outs. It was hard not to miss how cold her rival had become. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to swoop in and win Ranma.

But she had been annoyed when she had been ignored. She had tried to offer her fiancé a fresh okonomiyaki for lunch but he had barely acknowledged her before walking off. She found him later spying on Akane instead of eating his lunch.

Ranma spying on a girl who ignored him over her fresh delicious okonomiyaki?! It was intolerable.

She had then tried to spend time with him during the week but every time she got around him, he brushed her off. That had been infuriating.

Then just that day she had gone for a walk. She wanted some time alone to think, only to find Akane at the park with Konatsu. It only annoyed her, instead of making her jealous, that he would spend time with the blue-haired girl because he was dressed like a girl at the time. But she watched them anyways and was livid when she saw that Akane kissed him!

First, that bitch stole her fiancé and then her...friend! 

What was it about Akane Tendo that seemed to make boys crazy? Why did she need both Ranma and Konatsu when she had practically the entire male population of Furinkan under her thumb?

Akane got to grow up with her family in a nice comfortable house. She had never been shunned by her peer group. She had never had to live like a boy. But that wasn't good enough for that princess. She wanted more. She wanted everything that was supposed to be Ukyo's!

Everything was her fault! And it was about time that she was taught a lesson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane walked out of school the next day with her friends and had planned to spend the remainder of the day with them. She had missed a lot in her self-isolation and wanted to catch up with them over some ice-cream. They had planned to eat their lunches at school before heading to their favorite cafe.

She knew that she should try to make up with Ranma but she still didn't know how she should handle things. She hoped that doing something normal like spending time with her friends would take her mind off of their situation and an answer would come to her.

They had walked towards the soccer pitch when she heard her name called. She turned to see Ukyo stomping towards her. As she got closer, the blue-haired girl could see the anger radiating off the chef. Akane frowned in confusion as she could not remember doing anything recently to anger the girl but she instinctively stepped forward, shielding her friends from any harm.

"Akane. It's time you and me get some things straight," she said coldly.

Her tone had Akane's back up and she narrowed her eyes at the chef.

"Fine. Say what you have to say."

"Ranma is _my_ fiancé. He's going to marry me!"

Akane grit her teeth in annoyance. She had been having a hard enough time lately and didn't need to be reminded of how tenuous her and Ranma's relationship really was. She had been angry with him but that did not mean she wanted their relationship to be over.

But what if her treatment of him had driven him into the arms of his _cute_ fiancée? The thought brought a pang to her heart.

"If that's what he wants, I won't stand in your way."

Ukyo scoffed at her. "I don't believe you! You have always been after Ranma and always in my way!"

"I've never stopped Ranma from doing what he wanted. It's always been his choice. I have never forced him to do anything!"

"That's such a lie! He lives with you and your family! Don't you think he feels like he is indebted to you? That he is only around you because of duty?"

"What do you want, Ukyo?" she asked, unable to answer the girl's question. The chef had pinpointed one of Akane's biggest fears. She was already on edge emotionally and the confrontation was pushing her over into anger.

"I want you to give him up. Give up your claim to him!"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to! The engagement is between our families! Even if I told my father I no longer wanted to be engaged to Ranma, he would just switch the engagement to Kasumi or Nabiki!"

Ukyo narrowed her eyes at her in frustration. She had forgotten that fact.

"Fine. I'll just have to settle for kicking your ass and finally proving that I am the better woman."

"You can try. But even if you do manage to beat me, it won't make you the better woman."

Akane handed her book bag to Sayuri who hurriedly walked away from them with Yuka at her side. A small crowd was forming around them. She looked back to Ukyo and noticed how tired the other girl looked. She sighed and shook her head. She too felt tired. So tired of the situation they had all been put into because of their parents. Maybe it was time they all grew up and took responsibility for their actions. The anger left her suddenly and Akane straightened from the defensive stance she had automatically assumed.

"I'm not going to fight you, that isn't going to fix anything. Can we please just try to agree that we will both respect Ranma's wishes and let him decide when he's ready?"

As much as it was painful to admit, Ukyo knew that given a choice, Ranma would choose Akane. She needed this fight. She needed to feel like she had finally beaten the other girl at something.

"What's wrong, Akane? You afraid to lose?" she taunted, hoping to ignite her rival's temper.

As much as she tried, Akane couldn't stop from being irked at the taunt and she clenched her jaw, knowing that Ukyo wasn't going to back down. She really didn't want to fight the girl and hoped that the chef wasn't so angry that she would attack her back.

"Fine. You don't like the plan. But I'm still not going to fight you."

Akane turned and began to walk away which only fueled the other girl's anger.

_How dare she just walk away from me? Dismiss me like I'm nothing_? Ukyo thought. The blue-haired girl was right though, the chef had too much pride to attack her rival's back. She wanted to win, but fairly. She smiled wickedly as she thought of a way to guarantee the other girl would fight her.

"I formally challenge the Tendo Dojo and its heir; winner gets the dojo sign."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N** : Before anyone complains, let me assure you that I am not trying to turn this into a story that blames everything on Ranma nor am I trying to make him the bad guy. I'm sorry if this feels harsh, but when I thought things out, it seemed logical for Ranma to do everything in his power to get Akane to forgive him. Just like it seemed logical for Akane to react this way based on their past experiences. For those who think I'm making Ranma suffer too much, just hang in there.

Yes, Ranma's big plan was to plan a flash mob for Akane. I know they didn't become popular until a few years ago but I hope you still liked the idea.

Thank you, **alwaysZutarian** for all you amazing help and suggestions.

Original Publication Date: February 24, 2015

Revised: August 10, 2015


	21. Arc VI: Making Amends; Chapter: Ranma's Feelings

Ranma was leaving school with his friends, Hiroshi and Daisuke, who had felt some pity for him and decided to take him to the local arcade. They figured a couple of hours of mindlessly blowing up space aliens or killing zombies would help Ranma's mood. They were all a little late leaving as Hiroshi had to stay after school to discuss something with their teacher.

When they finally got outside, they noticed students quickly heading towards the soccer pitch, some even running. They eyed the students but continued on their way. It was only when they heard the students passing them discussing a fight that Ranma stopped suddenly, an ominous feeling growing in him.

Fights at Furinkan were only a big deal and only drew a crowd when they involved a few people; him, Akane, Ukyo, or Kuno. Since he was obviously fine, it had to involve one of them and he had a sinking feeling in his gut that it was Akane. He raced to the field, outstripping everyone else, and saw that it was Akane and Ukyo who were at the center of the commotion.

He sighed a little in relief but was still tense. If the fight was between those two, he knew they wouldn't let it get too bad. Well, he was sure Akane wouldn't. He wasn't so sure about Ukyo, so he continued forward. He was too far away still to hear what they were saying but he was relieved when he saw Akane had turned to walk away from the fight but a moment later he tensed when he heard Ukyo issue her challenge in a loud booming voice.

He raced forward again to see the blue-haired girl stiffen and turn around. He reached the edge of the surrounding students just in time to hear Akane's response.

"Ukyo, I don't want to fight you."

"So you're forfeiting? I'll just swing by and get that sign then. It's not like you had a chance anyways, sugar," the chef said tauntingly.

Akane clenched her hands and narrowed her eyes. She saw no way out of the fight when she had been so publicly challenged. It wasn't just her pride at stake, the school had been challenged and she had a duty to fulfill.

"Fine. Name the time and place," she said with no other option but to accept.

"Here and now."

Akane nodded and they both turned towards the field.

"Stop!" Ranma bellowed as he approached them and both girls turned around. "You guys don't have to fight."

"Oh we absolutely must, sugar. I challenged her school," Ukyo said with a smirk.

"Fine, I will fight for her. I represent the Anything Goes School just as much as she does," Ranma said, trying to reason with the chef. He noticed her eyes narrow and saw her back stiffen. His entire focus was on Ukyo that he didn't notice Akane had also stiffened in response to his words.

"You will not fight for me!" Akane said with a growl, causing Ranma to whip his head around to her. He was shocked to see the fire in her eyes.

"Akane, you can't do this."

"Why? Because you don't think I can beat her? Because you are so sure she's going to win and I will embarrass the Anything Goes School?" she hissed.

"What? No…"

"Well, don't worry about it, Ranma," she said rolling over his objections. "She challenged the Tendo Dojo. She challenged ME! This has nothing to do with you!" she pointed her finger at him and added, "This is MY fight. You stay out of it."

Now angry at the perceived slight, she turned around and stomped towards the center of the soccer pitch where the ground would be even. It had become the default arena for challenges at the school and the other students would know to clear the area. As it was, several had backed up for fear of their safety and were finding locations higher on the pitch to watch the action. A few wanted to be closer to the action and sat closer to the edge of the field.

Ranma watched helplessly as she walked away. He couldn't believe she had misunderstood his concern but realized that was his own fault. He had insulted her abilities in the past and there was no reason for her to believe he had good intentions now.

"Don't worry, Ran-chan. I'll go easy on her."

Ranma turned his gaze to his "friend."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, a lot of reasons. But mainly to teach her a lesson. It's about time someone took her down a peg."

Frustrated, Ranma said, "What has she ever done to you?"

Ukyo narrowed her eyes at Ranma's defense of her rival. She had been glad that Ranma showed up to witness the fight. It made her feel happy that he was finally going to see how weak and useless the other girl was. So she had planned to take it easy on the other girl, like she promised. But now her anger was back with a vengeance.

Why was he always trying to protect Akane? He stood there willing to fight _her_ for Akane's sake and was still protecting her!

"Stay out of the way. This is just between us girls, got it?" she bit out before turning her back on him and joining Akane on the pitch.

Ranma could do nothing but watch with growing dread. He had meant to help but somehow he just made things worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Akane stood on the pitch and watched as Ranma and Ukyo had their discussion. Whatever was said between them had only seemed to make the chef angry because her sneering attitude was replaced by anger when she faced the blue-haired girl.

_Good_ , she thought.

She had not wanted the fight and tried to stop it. Despite everything, she thought of Ukyo as a friend. But being called out by the other girl in front of her friends and then embarrassed by Ranma's lack of faith in her had only brought out her anger and competitive streak. Following so close to finding the truth about Ryoga, this felt like another betrayal, by both Ranma and Ukyo. Now she finally she had an outlet for everything she had been feeling.

Ukyo stood across from Akane and stared at her opponent. She waited for her to strike and only scoffed when she realized it wasn't going to happen. If the blue-haired girl was still waiting for her to back out, she had another thing coming.

With the tips of her fingers, she quickly pulled three mini-spatulas out of her bandolier and launched them at Akane, who jumped back quickly. The spatulas landed in a precise row at her feet. Ukyo knew the obvious attack wouldn't harm her but wanted to make it clear that she was serious. She had a moment to take a breath until she too had to jump back. At her feet lay a row of ninja stars embedded into the ground.

_What the hell? Where did she get those?_

She barely had time to finish the thought when she realized that Akane had started running toward her and had leapt into her air, her right foot aimed directly at Ukyo's chest. The chef did a series of back flips landing a few feet behind her original position. She reached behind her and pulled out her battle spatula before charging forward, swinging the flat side towards the blue-haired girl's chest.

Said girl dropped low under the blade and spun on her hands to sweep at the other girl's legs. The chef hopped back, trying to regain her balance, while Akane used her hands to back spring to her feet. She took a defensive stance before rushing forward at the same moment the chef did. Both girls clashed in midair, their kicks neutralizing each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ranma had begun watching in apprehension. He didn't want to see either girl hurt. The fight started with the expected moves from Ukyo using her mini spatulas before predictably pulling out her large battle spatula.

It was Akane with her ninja stars and unexpected responses that surprised him. She was a lot more agile than he had ever seen her and didn't respond with the moves he had come to expect from her. He could see the influences of Mousse, Taro, and Konatsu's training in her movements. She had blended the styles seamlessly, choosing the techniques that best suited the situation.

And as well as she was performing, he knew that Akane was still holding back. He could see from where he sat that her breathing had stayed even and she hadn't even broken a sweat. It was obvious to him that she was assessing her opponent’s skills before truly attacking because he had done the same thing in his own fights.

She had improved so much in so little time and he was ashamed to realize that he had no part in it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ukyo had her battle spatula in her hands and was panting heavily. She had expected an easy fight and was annoyed that her rival seemed to easily counter her every move. She breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from her brow. It didn't matter, she was determined to win and rushed forward to swing her weapon at the girl, this time blade side down as she tried to flatten the blue-haired girl like a pancake.

To her surprise Akane didn't back away from the attack but rushed forward. She was moving faster than Ukyo thought she could and was under the reach of the spatula before the chef knew what was happening. Suddenly Ukyo doubled over in pain as Akane landed a punch to her stomach as she ran by her. Gritting her teeth from the pain, she straightened up slowly as she turned and glared at her opponent.

_For someone who didn't want to fight, she's sure getting into it,_ Ukyo thought with a grimace. Her stomach throbbed with pain. Ranma always said Akane was as strong as a gorilla but Ukyo always brushed off the idea. She had never been on the receiving end of her punches and was surprised by the power the other girl had. What the chef didn’t know was that as naturally strong as her opponent was, fighting against Taro’s chimera form had made her even stronger.

 

Angry that the blue-haired girl got the first hit in, she began to attack more aggressively but carelessly. She began to swing her giant spatula at her opponent with abandon, causing her to dodge quickly when she couldn't anticipate the erratic movements. Akane sprung backward, lost her balance and tripped just as Ukyo's spatula came down on her. The Anything Goes martial artist put her hand in her hidden pocket, quickly pulling out her baton and snapped it open. She put the baton in both hands over her chest just as the blade was coming towards her, stopping the edge of the weapon inches from her face.

They struggled as Ukyo pushed down with gravity on her side. Akane pushed back. She bent her arms a little letting the blade come as close to her as she dared, making the chef think she was gaining strides. Akane then quickly thrust both her arms upwards, causing the chef to stumble back at the sudden movement. She gained her footing and stared questioningly at the baton.

_Since when did Akane carry a weapon? And where was she keeping the damn things?_

The blue-haired girl knew that she was lucky to get her baton out in time. Despite not wanting to fight, she had really got into it, and enjoyed testing her new skills. But she had gotten cocky and careless. She needed to end the fight before either of them got really hurt.

Ukyo was a good fighter but relied too much on her weapons. In hand to hand combat it would be easy for Akane to defeat the girl and they both knew it. She had to get the weapon away from the chef. She decided quickly on a plan.

Sizing each other up, the girls ran at each other once again. Akane watched as Ukyo took a side-ways swing at her. She jumped up and over the spatula and landed deftly on the thin edge of the blade, surprising the chef. Instinctively, Ukyo tried to throw the girl off the spatula by swinging it upwards but couldn't handle the sudden weight; she barely managed to keep the blade aloft. Using the balance she learned from Konatsu, Akane stepped quickly forward, striking the chef's knuckles with two quick snaps of her wrist, causing Ukyo to loosen her grip on the spatula. She then aimed a kick that landed squarely on the chef's chest. The pain caused Ukyo to drop her weapon completely as she fell backwards on her butt. Akane landed next to the spatula, and she quickly closed her baton, putting it back in the secret pocket, before picking up the spatula. She gave it some testing swings to judge the weight of the weapon like Mousse taught her.

Ukyo scrambled back with her hands and feet as Akane came towards her. The chef was horrified she was going to be attacked with her own weapon! The blue-haired girl swung the spatula down quickly, and Ukyo cross her hands over her head to protect herself, closing her eyes as she waited for the impact.

But nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see the spatula embedded deeply into the ground with only half the blade visible. She watched horrified as Akane executed a round house kick, snapping the handle off of the blade and sending it flying into the grass.

"No!" she screamed, horrified. Tears of frustration came to her eyes as she realized she would not be able to fight any longer. Without her weapons she had almost no way to defend herself. She refused to cry in front of her rival though and fought the tears back.

Panting now, Akane said, "It's over."

The blue-haired girl looked down at the chef as Ukyo pounded the ground with her fists furiously. Sympathy filled her at the sight. She felt no joy in beating the chef, but she reasoned she had no choice. She would never let the Tendo dojo sign go without a fight. Although she hoped that Ukyo could have her weapon replaced or fixed somehow. She turned her back on the other girl and saw Ranma running towards her.

"Akane, are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly as he tried to reach out for her.

"I'm fine!" she snapped. The adrenaline and frustration spurning her on, she slapped his hand away. "I told you I can take care of myself! I don't need you fighting my battles for me!"

She walked quickly away and Ranma watched as Sayuri and Yuka joined her before the trio walked off the pitch. He wanted to run after her but he didn’t think she would listen to him as angry as she was, and the last thing he needed was to have something else come between them. He sighed in frustration before turning his attention to Ukyo.

"Can you walk?"

She nodded and stood up with her head bent, unwilling to make contact with the pig-tailed boy. She had been humiliated in front of Ranma and the entire school. Her weapon was broken and she was sure she was going to have a boot print shaped bruise on her chest. But worse were her hands, they were still red and hurt from being hit by the baton and she prayed that nothing had been broken. How would she be able to cook if they were? She remained silent as Ranma walked her back to her restaurant.

Next to her, the pig-tailed boy tried to control his building rage. He knew that part of his anger came from the situation he was in with Akane. But a large part had to do with Ukyo. He could not believe that the chef had gone so far as to challenge the youngest Tendo. It looked like Akane wasn’t the only one he had to talk to today and he planned to let Ukyo know in no uncertain terms were things stood.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they reached Ucchan's, Konatsu opened the door for them with a smile.

"Miss Ukyo, good you’re here! I was worried you wouldn't make it in time to...." he trailed off and gasped when he took in the state of her. Her clothes were dirty and in disarray, her hair a mess, and her eyes red rimmed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Ukyo only nodded in response and the kunoichi looked to Ranma for an explanation. He only shook his head to dissuade the other boy from asking any more questions.

"Konatsu, can you please leave us alone? Ukyo and I have some things to discuss," he said tiredly.

"Ummm," the kunoichi said, as he drummed his fingers together in nervousness. He had finally sensed the tension between the two and he didn't know what he should do. He looked over at Ukyo for direction.

"It's fine, sugar. Why don't you go up for a while? We're staying closed today."

Konatsu just nodded his head before disappearing up the stairs.

Ranma stood watching his childhood friend as she chose a stool and sat down, her head still bent. He knew what he had to say to her. Things would never be settled for any of them until he did, but that didn't make it easier.

"Why did you challenge her? What did you hope to accomplish?"

"It doesn't matter, does it? I lost, didn't I?"

"Did you hope that this would make me choose you?"

Her head snapped up and he saw the anger in her face.

"Yes. I hoped it would show you once and for all how pathetic she is!"

"Don't talk about her that way!” he shouted angrily before he added, “She's your friend."

"Friend? She was never my friend! She’s always been in my way. She's never done anything for me that didn't help her somehow."

"She took you into her home. Her family helped you for no other reason than they thought you needed it." Ranma retorted, thinking of the time when the Tendo's invited Ukyo to stay with them when the chef learned that her okinomiyaki sauce had been ruined.

"You mean when Akane forced you to pretend to be married to her instead of letting you leave with me?"

"She did that to help me!" Ranma exclaimed. He then remembered everything that happened to lead to the fiasco. "They took you into their home and you repaid their kindness by trying to move in on me, under their roof."

_What kind of person did that?_ he thought. When it happened he had only thought of it as another silly attempt by Ukyo for his affection. But looking at it now, he realized what it said about her as a person. She was willing to betray someone else's kindness as long as it benefitted her in the end.

Ranma shook his head in disappointment, more at himself than her. This entire situation was his fault for letting things go on for so long. For not making a decision and letting all the girls think they had a chance with him. It was long past time he be honest and say what he needed to.

"Ukyo," he ignored his nickname for her, and said bluntly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to marry you. I don't love you."

"But you love her?!" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," he answered honestly, hoping the truth would end the chaos in their lives.

The chef reared back in shock, not expecting him to admit it and so bluntly. He had always shied away from his feeling before. She wasn't surprised by the fact, somewhere deep down, she knew the truth. She had just never wanted to acknowledge it.

"It's always been her, hasn't it?" she asked bitterly.

"Yes. It's always been her. I was in love with her before you even came to town."

"So, I never had a chance? Then why didn't you tell me? Why did you lead me on? You called me cute!"

"Yeah, I did. So what?" Frustrated, he ran his hands over his face. "You are cute. So is Shampoo and Akane. Hell, even Kodachi is!"

"But...but you called Akane uncute!"

Ranma looked at her incredulously.

"Mainly to annoy her when she was around. I antagonized her on purpose. Sometimes ‘cause I’m annoyed with her and others…” He trailed off. Ukyo didn’t need to know that he secretly enjoyed having all of Akane’s attention, even if it was negative.

“And that was always about how she acted, it was never about her looks." He shook his head in amazement.

Yes, he had made comments about her looks. He had called her flat chested and thick thighed. He had even told her that her body was lacking compared to his own female form. But all of that was at the beginning. She had hurt him after they met so he hurt her back. He continued to use it as a way to push her away. But even then he knew his comments were a lie. He remembered being so distracted by how pretty she looked while she was playing softball that he had allowed himself to get hit in the face with a ball.

No, he had always found her attractive.

As their relationship progressed he insulted her less and less, and even then those were uttered strictly for form so that no one would guess how he truly felt about her.

Maybe his plan had worked too well.

"Do you really think I didn't find her attractive? This is Akane we're talking about. She has half the school chasing her just because of her looks."

"Then why didn't you tell me this sooner? Why did you lead me on and let me think I had a chance?"

The time Ranma spent with Ukyo when they were young was one of the few happy memories he had from his childhood. He hadn't had many children to play with while traveling all over Japan to train. So when his old friend Ucchan came back to town, he naturally wanted to renew the friendship that was precious to him.

"I didn't say anything sooner because I wanted to be your friend! I should have said something when I realized how I felt. That's on me but some of it is your fault, too. You always saw things exactly the way you wanted to and ignored anything that you didn't like. Didn't you think it was odd that I was happy for you when I thought you and Ryoga got together? But in comparison, I got completely jealous at the idea of Akane just walking off with the same guy?"

Ranma was pacing now as frustration overtook him and things he had been stewing about finally came out.

"I only ever wanted to be your friend. But you wouldn't be happy with that, would you? Damn it, Ukyo, you brought bombs to my wedding!"

"What was I supposed to do? Let it happen? You are my fiancé!"

Ranma shook his head at her. "That's all you see me as, isn't it? You, Shampoo, Kodachi, you all just see me as something to win or own. Something that's _yours._ "

"Oh, like _she's_ any different! She would have never let you leave with someone else."

"That's where you're wrong. If she thought I was happy, she would."

Ukyo scoffed at that, "Yeah, right."

"Can't you take any responsibility for your actions?! Damn it! My mother was at the wedding! She could have gotten hurt! Kasumi, Nabiki, our friends from school could all have gotten hurt and you don't care!"

He stopped and said, "Let me put it this way, you acted crazier than Kodachi Kuno. At least she only wore a black wedding dress to the event. But you and Shampoo actually bombed the place! Bombs!" he said incredulously.

Ukyo was unwilling to accept his criticism of her but she knew that she was losing him and pulled out her trump card. She brought her hands up to cover her face and began to sniff loudly, shaking her shoulders as she began to cry, or pretend to, knowing that Ranma couldn't handle a crying woman.

The pig-tailed boy looked at her critically. He couldn't help but remember the heart wrenching site of Akane in tears after she found out about Ryoga. The way she had completely broken down, how blotchy her face looked, and how her entire body trembled with pain. How even then she hid it from him.

He saw the tears come to Ukyo's eyes but they remained clear and he could see her subtly looking at him from the corners of her eyes. Her shoulders shook and she sniffed but it all sounded hallow to him in comparison to the guttural sobs he had heard from Akane. For the first time in his life, he was completely unmoved by a woman crying. Something shifted for Ranma then as he understood that she was trying to manipulate him.

"Stop. It's not going to work."

"I...I don't...," sniff, "know wha-what, you mean," Ukyo said dramatically.

"Knock it off!" he shouted suddenly.

The sudden anger in his voice had her blinking at him in surprise. When she saw that he was serious and had remained unmoved she dropped her act.

"It's over. I've made my choice and it isn't you." He took a steadying breath and added, "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Shampoo; if you try to do anything to harm Akane, you will have me to answer to. I won't put up with anyone putting her in danger anymore."

"What? So you'll hurt me? Is that what you're saying?" Ukyo asked doubtfully.

"Yes. And I will never forgive you if you do anything else to her."

Ranma gave one last look at Ukyo before walking out the door. The simple response and the determination in his face had her heart sinking. When she understood that she had lost him for good, she began to cry in earnest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pig-tailed boy walked home sedately. Despite everything, he still wanted to remain friends with Ukyo but he didn't see how that would happen. He hadn't wanted to threaten his old friend but after her increasingly rash behavior, he could no longer give her the benefit of the doubt. The silver lining to this whole mess was, he had finally told Ukyo the truth. It had been exhausting and really emotional but also was liberating. He sighed and shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.

He had other things he had to focus on. He was determined to fix things with Akane, or at least some of their misunderstandings. The conversation he had to have with her was going to be much harder than the one he had just finished. He had a lot more at stake now because he could not lose Akane.

When he got to the house he checked the dojo first and was unsurprised to see his fiancée there. Even after such a strenuous fight earlier, she was there working on some katas. He smiled as he watched her, admiring her form. She was currently working on a kata that involved some aerial flips. She had trouble getting the height she needed to do the spinning kick she attempted next. She fell onto the ground and stumbled instead of landing smoothly on her feet as she intended.

He recognized the kata as something derived from the Saotome Branch of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. It was a series of moves he knew by heart and executed flawlessly at a much faster speed. He mastered the kata when he was ten years old. But that was only after having been drilled by his father on it for days. His father had him practice through each separate movement until he had perfected them before trying all the moves together at once. After he successfully completed the kata he had to repeat it, over and over again until he could do it seamlessly. He knew that most people would never be able to master it and here she was teaching it to herself. Everything Mousse had said about her determination and skill was right.

Guilt washed over him as he realized he had no part in it. He should have been training with her for the simple reason that they were both students of the same school. But more so because she was his fiancée and deserved to be respected for her martial arts skills.

Now was as good a time as any to start.

"You need to get a little higher before you try the kick. You aren't giving yourself enough time complete your kick so you're stumbling when you land."

Akane looked around curiously and nodded at him in acknowledgement. She began the kata again and this time jumped higher and was able to successfully land on her feet.

She smiled at him and said, "Thank you." She walked to the edge of the dojo, picked up her towel and bottle of water before she took a swig.

"'Kane, can we talk?"

She nodded at him and sat down with her back to the wall. He moved into the dojo and sat down next to her. He said nothing for a moment, not knowing where to start. For once, he had too much to say and he didn’t want to mess it up.

"You did good today. You surprised me a couple times with you attacks."

"Is it really that surprising that I would do well or win?" she asked quietly. She had only just begun to calm down from the fight and did not want to hear him insult her skills.

"No!" he shouted before he could stop himself. "That's not what I meant! I didn't want to stop you from fighting because I thought you would lose. I definitely didn't think you would embarrass the school. I just...just didn't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself. I know you don't think much of my martial artist skills but you should have enough faith in me to believe that I won't injure myself in something as simple as a challenge."

"I know you can take care of yourself and I wasn’t doubting your skills. But I still worry about you. Ever since…ever since Jusendo, the thought of you hurt…I can’t stand it. I just…can’t.”

Understanding entered her eyes then. Jusendo was a dark spot in their past that had haunted them both. They had spoken briefly about it, neither willing to dwell on their fears or speak of the effects that event had on them. Now that she understood that he had been motivated by concern, and not by his doubts in her, the frustration she felt over the situation was gone. She reached out tentatively, her hand hovering over his for a moment before she brought it down to clasp his gently.

He looked over in surprise and gratitude as hope swelled in him. They had successfully navigated themselves through one issue...somehow. He prayed luck would stay on his side. He sat for a moment just enjoying the physical contact, small as it was.

“There is something else I need to talk to you about.”

Ranma closed his eyes in disappointment when he felt her hand lift off of his. He could all but feel her pull into herself and he sighed inwardly. When he opened his eyes, he saw that her hands were folded neatly on her lap. Well, he knew that it wasn’t going to be easy.

"You were right about me not thinking about you when it came to Ryoga. But it wasn't on purpose, it was because I tried not to think about it at all. I...I lied the other day. No, just listen before you get angry," he said putting his hands up in a placating manner when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I told you that I didn't tell you about the curse because I made a promise to Ryoga to keep his curse a secret. But I always intended that for enemies, people who would abuse his curse to hurt him. It was never meant for you. That first night you found P-Chan, I was going to tell you about his curse...this whole misunderstanding was my fault."

"What stopped you?"

"You. You kissed him on the nose and I got so jealous and so angry that I couldn't think straight. I just stormed off. By the time I realized the mistake I made, you were already sleeping with him in your room. I came in to take him out and...umm...woke you up. The next morning, everyone was giving me such a hard time about it that I was embarrassed, too embarrassed to admit what was really going on. It sounds stupid now that I think about it, but that's what happened."

He scrunched his face and scratched his head then.

"After that, I was afraid that you would get mad, so I tried to keep the secret. And the longer it went on, the harder it was to be honest about it. I just kind of pushed things out of my mind until recently. I honestly just stopped thinking about the consequences of keeping the secret as it became automatic. I'm sorry."

Akane sighed as she took in the information. It really didn't change anything. He still kept the secret, still lied to her, still hurt her.

But...the explanation shed a new light on things. She of all people knew what it meant to do something stupid, say something stupid out of jealousy. Then become stuck in a situation because you were unable to admit that you were wrong. Her breaking their engagement and "giving" him to Nabiki was the perfect example of that.

What made the biggest difference though was his willingness to tell her the truth. His willingness to open himself up to her. To make himself vulnerable.

"Is there anything else you've been keeping from me? Anything else you have lied to me about?" she asked, voicing the concerns that had run through her head for the past week.

Ranma was going to answer "no" automatically, but he realized that that wasn't true.

"Shampoo isn't on vacation. She's gone. I don't think she is ever coming back. There is no more kiss of marriage on me or kiss of death on you."

Shocked, Akane goggled at him. She had not expected that. Ranma went on to tell her about what happened after he had thought she had been kidnapped.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know how. I'm not...good at expressing myself. If I told you why she left, it would have been like...like declaring myself to you. And I...I wasn't ready."

He was ready now, but he knew from Akane's conversation with Konatsu that he couldn't say it before she forgave him, or she would always feel like he said it to manipulate her.

Akane couldn't help but feel a little glad that Shampoo was finally out of their lives. No more schemes, no more broken walls, no more having to watch the Amazon throw herself at Ranma! She wondered if it made her a bad person. She then thought of how Mousse was probably feeling and felt guilty. She shook her head of the thoughts. She could think about that later. They had more to discuss.

"I guess you should know that I also had a talk with Ukyo after your fight today."

Akane looked at the hands in her lap, the guilt coming back to her. She had no choice but to participate in the match earlier, but that didn't make her feel good about it. She had always thought of Ukyo as her friend.

"Is she okay?" Akane asked quietly.

He smiled at her. It was so like her to worry about people, even after they had challenged her. "She's fine." Then he told her about the recent conversation they had.

Akane goggled at him again. Her heart began to beat faster as hope filed her. Two of his other fiancées had been dealt with. The two girls were no longer obstacles to their relationship. He had...he had finally told them how he felt about _her._ She couldn't help but blush at the thought. She breathed deeply, she needed to calm down before she got ahead of herself.

"Is there anything else?" she asked tentatively.

Not noticing her response, Ranma began to squirm as he thought of Kasumi. "There is one more thing, but it's not my secret." At her suspicious look the pigtailed boy said quickly, "It's not like Ryoga. I swear to you, it's not. I made a promise to...someone we both know to keep a secret. That person..." he thought carefully how to craft his words so he would not inadvertently give details away, "has started seeing someone else we know and they want to work on their relationship before they tell anyone else." He hesitated and said, "I'll tell you if you really want me to."

Although she was burning with curiosity she said, "No. That's not something you have to tell me if you made a promise to keep it a secret. Is that all?"

Ranma scratched his head in thought before he said, "Yeah. I think so."

Akane sat there for a while before she nodded and said, "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, confused.

"Staying mad won't change what happened. We just have to deal with it. I have to deal with it," she clarified. "I forgive you, even if I'm still feeling hurt. But it's going to take some time before I can feel like I can trust you again." She blew out a breath and added, "But I don't think I could take it if you kept something like this from me again."

"I promise I won't keep anything from you again."

Akane thought of the all the possible implications of that and burst out laughing.

"I don't need you to tell me every detail of every day, just don't keep big things from me. And," she added, poking him on the arm, "no lying."

"I promise. No lying."

Akane leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Everything wasn't perfect, they still had things to work out but she finally thought they had a real chance. They reached a point in their relationship that she didn't think they were ever going to get to.

Ranma put his arm around her and closed his eyes to fully appreciate the feel of her against him. He had so missed the simple yet intimate contact between them. The way her touch could evoke so many feelings in him.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the crown of blue hair on the top of her head. He still had a couple things he wanted to get out and he thought he knew a way to address it without getting too mushy.

"So, that kata you were trying earlier. It looks like one from the Saotome school."

She nodded slightly. Head bent Ranma couldn't see the blush on Akane's face. "Yeah. The Tendo school is more ground based and...well, I need...want my moves to be more agile and the Saotome style seems good for that," she said with a shrug.

"Well, there are a few katas I could show you that would be easy for you to learn since it has some of the same moves as some of the Tendo katas."

Akane went perfectly still. She couldn't have heard him right. Ranma volunteering to work with her? No, she definitely imagined it.

"So, you _want_ to...what? Teach me?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yeah."

"Why? You've never wanted to before."

"I know," he took a deep breath and added, "and I should have."

Akane sat up and looked into his face, searching for any signs that he was teasing her. Ranma began to get nervous when she only continued to look at him questioningly.

Was he supposed to apologize for not paying more attention to her training? Was she going to get mad because he inadvertently told her she needed help? Would she take it as an insult?

Just as he began to sweat, Akane smiled at him. No, she beamed at him. She looked so happy and suddenly she threw her arms around him, knocking him sideways as she hugged him tightly.

He was serious about helping her! He acknowledged her skills and was going to help her improve! She loosened her grip but didn't move from her position, settling on top of him as he wrapped his arm around her.

She couldn't believe it. The engagement mess had been settled. Ranma had started talking to her about his feelings. And now he was offering to teach her. It was everything she had always wanted. She didn't think she had ever been this happy.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and he placed the other to the back of her head and brought her closer to him. Ranma smiled as he kissed her on the top of her head as he began to stroke her gently. He took a sniff of her hair and smiled.

She smelled like raspberries. His favorite.

He loved the feeling of her pressed against him. Her skin was so soft and her muscles so firm. The warmth of her had relaxed him like nothing else before. This is what he had been missing. This simple affection that was still so new to them both but had quickly become an integral part of his life.

He couldn't believe that they had talked through so much. He didn't want to ruin this moment but there was something else he needed to talk to her about.

"There's just one more thing." When he felt her stiffen, he stroked her back soothingly. "It's not bad. At least, I don't think it is. Hopefully you'll like it. I think you’ll like it..."

He stopped when Akane's placed a finger on his lips. It was really cute when he got flustered but if she didn't stop him, she may never know what he wanted to say.

"What is it, Ranma?"

"I...I need to tell you that..." He took a deep breath and said simply, "Akane...I love you."

The blue-haired girl stayed frozen for a moment as she let the words she had been wanting to hear for so long sink in.

He _loved_ her.

He loved _her._

She moved off him slowly and put her weight on her elbow as she looked into his face. He looked so earnest.

"I've loved you for so long and missed so many opportunities to tell you. When you asked me if I loved you at the wedding, I panicked. When…when I thought you were..." He took a deep breath. He didn't think he could ever think about Jusendo or her dying without it physically hurting him.

“When we were in Jusendo, in that cave. When I thought you had…left me, I…I was so hurt that I started talking to you, telling you everything I was never able to. And…at the end, I was so…” Even now, just thinking about it he could feel the tears begin to build. Taking another deep steadying breath, he said, “I thought it, I screamed it in my head. Or at least I thought it was in my head. I don’t know if I said it out loud. That is what I meant by ‘I’m sure I didn’t say it out loud.’ But I felt it. I feel it. I love you, Akane.”

She gave him a little smile and said, "I love you, too, Ranma." She leaned down and kissed him sweetly.

All week he had felt off, felt like something was missing. That his life just felt wrong. With that simple kiss, things shifted inside him. Things he didn't even know were off. And suddenly everything in his life felt right. Everything fell into place. All the insanity, the pain, the worry, and jealously had all been worth it for this single moment. Finally, he had the only thing he ever truly wanted, Akane.

Their lives may never be easy and would probably always be chaotic but if they had each other, they could get through anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N:** I've had a few people tell me that they didn't like the way I have handled Ukyo in this story, saying that she is not as bad as the other girls and more reasonable than I have portrayed her. If you are in this camp, I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. I believe that the perception that Ukyo is self-sacrificing, less violent, and/or more understanding than the other fiancées is mainly supported by the anime. Except for a minor reference to the anime in the next chapter, my story is solely based on the manga. In the manga she does not do anything for Ranma without some sort of gain for herself, even going so far as hoping Ranma doesn't regain his strength so that he will be forced to help raise their children and run her restaurant because he would be dependent on her. She doesn't give thought to how much that would break his spirit. Not to mention that she has gotten increasingly violent as the series progressed. This is, of course, how I interpret the character and her actions, so if it offends you, I'm sorry.

I've always believed that the biggest problem between Ranma and Akane was their lack of communication. Him winning her forgiveness was more about just being honest with her and sharing his feelings, not about doing silly things. I hope that I've addressed both the Ryoga issue and their lack of communication to everyone's satisfaction.

Big thanks to **alwaysZutarian** for all her help!

Original Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Revised: August 10, 2015


	22. Epilogue: What Happened to Everyone

**Epilogue: What Happened to Everyone**

**3 Months Later**

Ranma, dressed in a black tux, looked across the aisle at Akane and smiled dumbly at her. She was wearing a beautiful gown that fit her to perfection, her hair had been styled to frame her lovely face that was enhanced with the extra effort she put on her makeup today, and it was worth it. He had never seen her look so beautiful.

Akane smiled back and looked down shyly at her bouquet as a blush formed on her face. Ranma looked so handsome in the black tux that emphasized his wide shoulders and trim waist. His blue eyes shone with so much love and affection that she was overwhelmed and it was hard to look directly into them without getting flustered.

The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the flowers were in bloom. It was a perfect day for a wedding and the Tendo estate provided the perfect backdrop. The family and friends who gathered to share the special day with the lovely couple were enjoying the happiness that radiated from the pair. For once, a wedding on the Tendo grounds was going perfectly.

It helped that it wasn't Ranma and Akane who were getting married.

The pair looked on as Kasumi, resplendent in an ivory mermaid wedding gown - that showed off her figure perfectly - said her vows to Tofu, who never looked happier. A little dazed but very happy. Standing next to Kasumi was Nabiki, the maid of honor and Akane, her bridesmaid. Tofu had an old college friend serving as his best man and Ranma as a groomsman. 

The surprise engagement of Akane to Sota had affected Tofu more than Ranma thought. The doctor had spent many a night worried about the possibility of having yet another unknown engagement by the Tendo patriarch pop up, but this time having his beloved Kasumi taken from him. It had taken him a while to get up the nerve to propose - whenever he tried his Kasumi-itis would act up - but when he did, she happily accepted. They then told her family about the wedding, everyone except Nodoka and Ranma were surprised by the news and everyone was excited for the couple. 

The wedding had taken two months to plan, giving Tofu's relatives and friends enough time to make arrangements to come into town. Tofu's mother was deliriously happy that her son was finally ready to marry and to such a paragon of Japanese femininity. For the ceremony she had set the shrine of his father she carried on her little back next to the one of Kasumi's mother. Both the bride and groom where happy with the arrangement as they felt their beloved parents could take part of their wonderful day.

The Ichiro family had helped with the wedding, providing everyone with tuxedos and dresses, along with all the necessary accessories. Tatsuki, who was in the midst of planning her own wedding, and Kasumi, being of similar age and temperament, had hit it off and became fast friends. Both Tatsuki's family and the Chihari family were attending the wedding, having become close friends with the Tendos and Saotomes. The fathers all enjoyed drinking together and telling outrageous but often true stories of training during their formative years. While their long suffering wives enjoyed the respite from the insanity caused by their husbands and encouraged each other's meddling in their children's lives.

Nabiki had graduated from high school and began her first year at university. She chose a college in Tokyo, to Soun's delight, but chose to live on campus, which caused the patriarch to cry at the loss of his little girl. She came home every other weekend to spend time with her family and to have her laundry done by Nodoka, who was more than happy to take over the household chores. Kasumi was consumed with wedding details and began to spend more time with Tofu in his home. Nabiki was happy with the arrangement since she saved money getting her laundry done at home and still had the independence she always craved.

She was still dating Taro, who had decided to move permanently to Nerima. He was living at the Neko Hanten and helping run the restaurant when he wasn't off with Nabiki. He enjoyed their visits and had no problem taking her to and from college for her visits. He actually really liked carrying her in his arms as he flew the distance in his chimera form. It always amazed him that she had no fear or disgust for his alternate state. She was so comfortable with his chimera form, that she often teased that she was more than happy to ride the bull.

Mousse had turned out to have a mind for business and had made some changes to the restaurant that increased business. He decided to take the name of the restaurant literally. The men were now required to wear black slacks and black fitted muscle t-shirts, the women wore black leggings, and black tank-tops with black heels. Everyone was required to put on cat ears and attach a jaunty little tail for service. Ranma promptly quit as this was too much for his ailurophobia. Mousse had begun staffing the day shift with all men, bringing in the bored housewives during the lunch shift. The night shift was primarily female, catching the salary men on the way home from work. Business had never been better.

He still sent money back to Cologne in the Amazon village and had recently gone back for a visit on the pretense of seeing his mother, but had mainly gone to see Shampoo. He was more confident now. With his improved eyesight, his skills had also improved greatly. It helped that he now had Taro, Konatsu, Akane, and even Ranma to train with. He had hoped to impress his beloved and win her hand.

However, his hopes had been dashed. When he got home he found out that Shampoo had been married the month before! His mother had been forbidden by the Elders to notify her son of the arrangement for fear that he would try to interrupt the ceremony.

Upon returning home, Shampoo had been completely heartbroken. Cologne had suggested a political marriage would be advantageous for her, as it would unite two powerful Amazon families. The proposed groom was a distant cousin of Shampoo, being Cologne's cousin's great great grandson. The male was attractive enough and more than willing to marry her. In Cologne's opinion, he would be the perfect Amazon husband; willing to take care of the children, tend the home, had no aspirations of becoming a warrior, and with his family lineage, she knew he would provide Shampoo with powerful offspring.

Shampoo had been convinced she would never love again, and in her state, she had hastily accepted Cologne's proposal. She left all the planning to the bridegroom and focused on her new training. The Elder Amazon, finally realizing her legacy's true weaknesses was in critical thinking and not physical acumen, had begun to train Shampoo mentally. She was getting new lessons in Amazon politics, war planning, and most of all, impulse control.

Mousse had planned to visit for two weeks but had left after only three days. He could not bear seeing his beloved with someone else and of hearing the entire village gossiping about the happy couple. He came back to Nerima broken hearted, knowing he would never return to the village except for the occasional visit to his mother.

Sayuri had watched him in concern. She had accepted that she would never be able to touch his heart the way Shampoo had but still wanted to be there for him. Unwilling to sit and wait for him to notice her, she had begun dating a college freshman but she still held out hope that she had a chance with the male Amazon in the future.

Hiroshi's crush had been a superficial one and it was easy for him to begin chasing one of the new waitresses at the Neko Hanten, who was a bit of an airhead, a lot of a flirt, and very well endowed.

Despite their agreement to not get involved in their friend's love lives, Ranma and Akane had been subtly trying to steer Daisuke and Yuka together. For her part, Akane had been touting Daisuke's praises while emphasizing the more playboy aspects of Hiroshi’s personality. Ranma had been trying to get the two to spend a much time together as possible while encouraging the shyer boy to be a little more outgoing when speaking to Yuka. To their delight, it was working, but slowly. They were both so shy they had still not gone on their first date.

Happosai still occupied his room in the Tendo home but to Soun and Genma's delight had spent most of his time "training." The Grandmaster was happy with the arrangement he made with Akane. He still found it surprising that all those lovely young girls were so sweet to him and he enjoyed the interactions so much that he was determined to follow her rules, not wanting to risk losing the guaranteed new stash of lovelies he got every month. But he was so tempted every time he saw Ranma or Akane enter the furo that he decided to spend the rest of the month traveling throughout Japan.

Ryoga eventually found his way back to Akari. She was happy to see him but wondered at his sullen mood. He remained quiet about the situation but finally told the farm girl the truth about his situation with Akane. He had plenty of time to think about how his secret had affected the blue-haired girl. He felt terrible about it and didn't want to risk Akari reacting the same way should she learn about "P-Chan." Akari had been upset upon learning the truth but it was mostly over the fact that Ryoga had been in love with Akane. She comforted Ryoga the best she could and he remained at the Unryu farm, helping to train her prized pigs whenever he wasn't lost and wandering the globe.

Thanks to Konatsu, both Kunos had left Japan. After the infamous kiss with her brother, Kodachi slowly became unraveled. She was absolutely disgusted by the fact that she kissed her own brother, but the fact that it had been her very first kiss had only made it worse. She had tried to push the event from her mind but couldn't. It seemed to plague her, getting so bad that when she looked at a guy, she began to see aspects of her brother in each of them. Even when she was alone with Kon. It disturbed her so much that she had decided to leave Japan in hopes that finding a gaijin, who looked nothing like her brother, would solve the problem.

What she didn't know was that Konatsu was gas-lighting her. He had started to speak with Kuno's verbose syntax, had styled his hair in the exact same way, and even started to wear Tatewaki's cologne. Kodachi had chosen to spend her last year of high school in France. She decided on the location because of a love of the food and was now attending a prestigious all girl's school near Paris. One faithful weekend after her first month there, she met a wonderful gaijin with blond hair, aristocratic features, and bright blue eyes. They bonded over their love of food and the fact that they both practiced unique styles of martial arts. Instead of being disgusted by his inherited physical abnormality, she found it intriguing. Picolet was so smitten by her, he purchased a diamond ring and planned to propose to her the following weekend.

Tatewaki, being used to suppressing reality, had promptly forgotten the kissing incident as soon as it happened and Konatsu's plan to disgust the elder Kuno sibling fell flat on its face. So the kunoichi came up with a different plan to get the kendoist out of everyone's hair. He had planted the idea that Kuno needed to go on a Samurai's quest to prove his manhood before he could earn the kunoichi's hand in marriage. Kuno left on his warrior's journey shortly after graduation. His first stop was China where he promptly forgot about the kunoichi.

When he got to China he went into the wilds and ran into his pig-tailed goddess. Or who he thought was his pig-tailed goddess but turned out to be a stranger. The confusion was understandable as the other girl could have been his pig-tailed girl's twin sister. But the girl was somehow even more uninhibited; she ran around almost naked and didn't care. She was a little peculiar with her love of piggy back rides, love of bananas, and her fondness for grooming him. The oddest thing though was the way she seemed to disappear, especially around the hot water springs, where her pet monkey would suddenly show up. But she was so passionate and wild, so free with her affection and body, that it was easy to overlook her idiosyncrasies.

Konatsu, for his part, was still happily working at Ucchan's. He couldn't have been more content with his job and was more than pleased with his social life. He wasn't dating anyone now that the Kunos had both left Nerima but the group of friends he had felt like family.

Ukyo was another matter. She still had mixed feelings about everything. After that talk with Ranma, she had broken down in tears and stayed that way until she felt Konatsu's strong arms wrap around her. She found herself comforted by his embrace and inside her the turmoil turned into something different, something she didn't understand. He was successful in calming her down but she was still upset about the situation. It took a while for her to understand that she hadn't really loved Ranma. Cared for him, yes. But loved him? No. She knew that if she really had, she wouldn't have gotten over the pain of losing him so easily. What lingered was the feeling of embarrassment at being dumped and the anger at his treatment of her. Not to mention the humiliation at being so thoroughly beaten by Akane. 

She decided to finish out her last year at Furinkan but requested to be transferred to a different class than Akane and Ranma. Whatever her feelings, she was not going to submit herself to watching the two together. In her off time, she found herself thinking of Konatsu more and more. However, she wasn't willing to admit that she had growing feelings for the kunochi, so she treated him the way she always had. Konatsu, not thinking he was worth her notice, had remained oblivious to her growing attraction.

As for our favorite couple, things had not changed much but changed a lot at the same time. After their conversation in the dojo, they had told Nodoka, Kasumi, and Nabiki of their new status; happily dating. Together the women and Ranma told Soun and Genma that they would no longer fight the engagement but felt they were too young to marry. That had caused an eruption by the two fathers who didn't understand why the heirs couldn't marry right then and there.

Nodoka had quieted her husband with the simple and expedient act of placing the Saotome honor blade on the table and slowly, dramatically withdrawing the blade. He had not forgotten her words or her treatment of him when she learned about his part in keeping P-Chan's true identity a secret. He wisely quieted down and prayed that his best friend would be able to convince their children to go along with a quickie wedding.

Soun had been happy at the announcement that his youngest daughter was no longer fighting her engagement but confused on why she didn't just fulfill her duty to their family. He had expressed his concerns rather diplomatically, or so he thought, and was cowed by Kasumi and Nabiki's response. They both grew large and ominous and leaned over him with looks of disappointment and anger, respectively, on their faces. He would have continued to stutter his objections but he glanced over to his youngest daughter and the look on her face killed all his protests.

She looked so sad, so disappointed in him. He had not forgotten the harm he had done by keeping Ryoga's secret and knew that if he continued to protest he would permanently damage his relationship with her. He sighed deeply as he took out a cigarette. Lighting it and taking the first intoxicating pull of tobacco helped calm him. He blew out the smoke and told his family that if Ranma and Akane promised to one day, in the not so distant future, get married, he would no longer press for a wedding. Genma looked devastated at his friend's acquiescence but was unable to stand against everyone else. 

Akane smiled at Soun. She was still mad that he had kept the knowledge of Ryoga's alternate form a secret in what he believed was her best interest, but with that simple acquiescence to her wishes, he had truly gained her forgiveness. She knew that her father could not change who he was. But he was still her father. She had already lost her mother and she did not want to lose him, too.

Since then, Ranma had kept his promise to train Akane in the Saotome style. He was teaching her the Saotome school katas and learned some of the Tendo ones in turn. They had even developed some katas together, combining the styles of both schools. The fathers watched on happily, finally seeing the two schools joined in one way. The pig-tailed boy also devised his own way of training Akane without hitting her: he simply had other people do it.

Mousse, Konatsu, and Taro had become a common sight at the Tendo Dojo, with all five training together. None of the other boys had any problems sparring with Akane and Ranma could trust them not to get carried away when they fought with her. And if they did, he was there to step in. It was worth the worry because Akane was so happy and he could see the effects the training had on her. She truly was a practitioner of the Anything Goes School principals and was able to incorporate all the different styles together seamlessly.

Their relationship had continued to grow in other areas, too. As difficult as it was for them, they had worked on talking through their problems. Sometimes it was their tempers that got in the way, others it was their stubbornness, and the simple fact that neither were good at expressing themselves also caused problems. But throughout it all they tried, which was the important thing.

They had grown closer physically, too. The more time they spent together the more they seemed to want each other. Their make out sessions were always hot and heavy as they explored each other’s bodies. The only problem they had was stopping before they went too far. When they did finally separate after their long study sessions, they were often left frustrated. Both were then forced to see to their own unfulfilled needs in private before going to bed fitfully.

Akane had begun to wonder why they were waiting. She loved him and he loved her. Would it matter if they made love before they were married? Surprisingly, it was Kasumi who convinced her she didn't need to wait.

_The three Tendo sisters were in the dojo late one night after Kasumi's bridal shower. All of the guests had left and the three girls sat and talked as they finished off the last of the sake. They were all a little tipsy from having imbibed throughout the evening. Nabiki reached behind her to pull out the present she bought for the occasion._

_She handed the gift bag to her sister and said with a smirk, "This is from me. I thought you would want to wait to open it."_

_Kasumi reached into the pink and black bag and pulled out a rather racy piece of lingerie designed to resemble a nurses uniform, complete with a little hat, stethoscope, white thigh-high stockings and a very tiny red thong that matched the small red cross that decorated the hat._

_Akane's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Nabiki!"_

_The middle sister just shrugged before saying, "What? How many people can play doctor with an actual doctor?"_

_Kasumi just giggled and put the garment in front of her chest to gauge how it would look on and said, "Thank you. I'm sure Tofu will love it." At Akane's disbelieving look, the eldest sister smiled mischievously and added, "There is a reason I'm not wearing white at the wedding, little sister."_

_Akane almost spit out her drink and wondered if her eldest sister had drank a bit too much alcohol that night. But Kasumi only giggled some more. When her mother died she had asked Kasumi to look after her sisters and father. Her mother never told her how she should do it, so Kasumi thought she should act like her mother had. She spent years taking care of the house, tending to everyone, and trying to be a good example for her sisters._

_But now she considered her job done, her sisters were grown. Nabiki was in college and Akane was practically an adult. She was proud of how they both turned out and proud of the part she played in it. With Nodoka there to take care of the Tendo household, Kasumi could start her own family knowing her father and youngest sister would be taken care of. Sitting around with her sisters, she felt lighter than she could ever remember. This was what she had wanted for such a long time, to be able to spend time with her sisters as sisters, without having to act like their mother._

_Nabiki laughed uproariously. "Way to go Tofu! I didn't think he had it him!" She rolled her eyes at her younger sister and added, "Stop being such a prude, I know you aren't innocent anymore." When Akane only looked down and turned red Nabiki burst out laughing again. "I don't believe it. You and Saotome haven't done it yet?"_

_"No! Not...really. I mean we've done...stuff but..."_

_"What's the problem? Can't Ranma get it up?" the middle Tendo asked with a smirk on her face._

_"Oh, he has no problem with that," Akane answered before her eyes grew wide as she realized what she admitted to. Her face grew even redder when Nabiki wiggled her eyesbrows suggestively at her younger sister and Kasumi giggled behind her hand._

_“Alright, why haven't you then? With the way you look at each other, I'm surprised you aren't walking around bow legged all the time."_

_"I thought we should wait...you know, until we're married."_

_Nabiki only rolled her eyes at her younger sister._

_"You two love each other and belong together. If you want to wait because you aren't ready, then wait. But don't do it because you think you have to follow some sort of rule," Kasumi advised, shocking Akane._

_"But...but...you always said you thought we were too young!"_

_"And you were, when I said it. You hadn't even accepted the engagement or your feelings back then. Things are different now. You’re older, more mature, and most importantly, you know you love each other."_

_Akane let that sink in a moment before she turned bright red as Nabiki began to tell her all the things she was missing, going into embarrassing detail that included suggestive positions. She sunk down in her seat in mortification as Kasumi nodded wisely at some of the advice and added some of her own less descriptive suggestions. Her eldest sister had clearly drankdrunk too much sake._

_The next morning Nabiki took Akane to the local clinic for birth control._

It was now evening and stars were out. The reception was still going strong in the dojo and Ranma and Akane had slipped out for a breath of fresh air. They stood by the pond gazing at the stars.

The pig-tailed boy cleared his throat and began to fidget with his braid, a sure sign that he was nervous. Beside him, his fiancée waited patiently knowing he would say what he wanted to in due time.

Clearing his throat again, he said, "So...'Kane...there's something that I've been meanin' ta ask ya."

She turned to face him expectantly with a smile on her face.

"The thing is...I mean..." he stuttered and when she only continued to look at him he mumbled quickly, "Willyabemygirlfriend?"

Akane blinked at him, not having understood the question. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Sighing deeply he blushed and said slower, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She blinked slowly at him, surprised at the question. It seemed a little silly and unnecessary considering they were _engaged_ but she quickly realized the significance of the question. They had not chosen the engagement and were originally forced into it by their parents. They had accepted it yes, but it was assumed they would get married, it wasn't a choice of theirs to make. This new status would be their choice, their decision together.

When she didn't answer right away he added, "See, I've had fiancées before but I've never had a girlfriend and well I...I'd like you to be...Will you?"

Ranma watched as she began to worry her bottom lip and when a frown came to her face he grew concerned. Given the choice was she going to say no? Had she decided after being with him that she no longer wanted him?

"You see, there's this thing that you should know," she began hesitantly. 

Fear began to fill him as a cold line of sweat ran down his back.

“I…I,” she began nervously. "I have this...," she rolled her hand in the air trying to find the right words, "fiancé. And he's gets very jealous when other guys ask me out."

She smiled at him with a twinkle in her eyes as she watched him visibly relax. Sometimes it was just fun messing with him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He's pretty tough, too," she added, running her hands down his lapels and brushing off imaginary lint from his shoulders. She’d had the urge to touch him all day and could no longer resist.

"Really?”

Akane nodded her head and looked at him from beneath her lashes.

“Big, strong, and handsome,” she added as she unnecessarily adjusted his tie.

“Is that all?”

“Sexy. He is very, very sexy,” she added huskily. She then bit her bottom lip, which she knew turned him on.

“Well, I think I can take him," he said as he yanked her to him before he brought his mouth slowly to hers.

She found it so thrilling when he grabbed her like that. There was just something so masculine and primal about the forceful move that got her blood pumping. She closed her eyes in anticipation, her heart already thumping wildly in her chest.

But nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and found his mouth hovering over hers tantalizingly. His right eyebrow quirked at her questioningly as he trailed his fingers teasingly down her neck. He smiled as she shuddered at his ministrations. He loved the affect he had on her.

"Well, if you think you can take him, then yes," she said breathlessly.

Ranma brushed his lips against hers gently, before nipping her lip lightly with his teeth. She opened her lips with a groan and he dove in, exploring her warm mouth with his tongue. His hands began their own exploration, running over the generous curves he had admired all day. He squeezed her bottom with both hands and she moaned in pleasure.

He broke their kiss and began to trail kisses down her slender neck. When he reached the sensitive hollow where her neck and shoulders met she tilted her head to side to give him better access. She loved it when he laved over that spot with his tongue and she closed her eyes to better enjoy his assault. Another moan escaped her lips as she felt the now familiar throbbing begin between her thighs. She could feel herself get wet and the rest of her body began to tingle.

She ran her hands up against his muscular chest, needing to feel his strong muscles. She began to unbutton his shirt as she moved them backwards, leading them towards the house. When she slipped her hands under his shirt and felt his smooth skin and muscles under her fingers, she paused to rub herself against the prominent bulge now wedged between them.

Unable to restrain himself anymore, Ranma bent and placed his hands under her thighs and deftly lifted her up bridal style. He found it difficult to walk in his current state but he wanted desperately to be alone with his beautiful girlfriend, which was all the motivation he needed to get them quickly up the stairs.

She gladly wrapped her arms around his neck as she placed kisses along the strong line of his jaw before she teasingly nibbled on his ear. She had to squeeze her thighs together as her core began to ache with need as he carried her up to her room and slammed the door shut behind them.

Her last coherent thought for was, _We're both getting lucky tonight_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks! The story is over! I've dealt with what I think are all their major issues, both individually and as a couple. Not everyone had a happy ending or even ended up with the person they wanted, but that's life. For anyone who is confused, Kuno ended up with the monkey Herb turned into a woman using nyannichuan.
> 
> I'm sure some of you are wondering why I didn't end it with Ranma and Akane getting married. I simply believe that they are too young. If you take away the pressure from their parents and other outside influences, they would be happy just being engaged for a while as long as they understand their feelings for each other and where they stand as a couple. I know Ranma asking Akane to be his girlfriend is a little OOC but I think he would think being able to define their relationship for themselves is important. Plus it was just cute.
> 
> I've written over 150,000 words in 10 months and ended up with a story that I'm really proud of. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everyone who has come along for this wonderful ride. When I started this, I thought that maybe I would hit 100 reviews total and this far outstripped what I thought was possible. So thank you to everyone who has left a review, either short or long, for this story. I can't believe it reached over 400! Yay!
> 
> I could not have done this alone. Thanks to KaikiH for proof reading my first chapter and for supporting me when I had doubts about my story. Also thank you, PepperonyOwl for all her help with the early chapters of the story, your insights were wonderful. I really miss your stories so I hope you come back to the fandom soon! The biggest thanks has to go to alwaysZutarian who was the best beta reader ever with her insights into the characters, her pointing out when I needed to add just a bit more to each chapter, but mostly her moral support. This story wouldn't have been as good without her help. You ladies rock!
> 
> Original Publication Date: March 18, 2015  
> Revised: September 29, 2015


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